Jeller Wedding
by lshd
Summary: Kurt and Jane begin their life together. The wedding, is it their first step toward a future together or apart?
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Blindspot or any of these wonderful characters.

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Jane looked in the mirror at the dress she was wearing with awe. It was the most beautiful dress she'd ever seen. It was white and silky, fitted with long sleeves. She hadn't chosen it to cover the tattoos and in fact even when Patterson offered to cover them for her it was Kurt that had protested. He wasn't marrying some perfect version of her, he was marrying her. He loved everything about her, including the tattoos. The dress didn't have any lace or embellishments at all, the only concession she'd made was in the antique lace vail that Patterson had insisted was perfect. She had to admit it did look good.

Kurt was waiting on her…and she was more than ready to go. Today she would become Jane Weller. It was going to be a small wedding, until it wasn't. They'd included the team, Sara and Sawyer…Allie and Connor of course. Somehow their small ceremony had grown to encompass most of the NYO. When the guest list had swelled to over 100, they'd realized that their small wedding had become a big event. Jane hadn't cared about any of the necessary details, she didn't care who came or what they ate, she just wanted to be tied to Kurt in every way possible. She'd never been this happy in her life. She knew that without doubt. She might not remember a large chunk of her life, but she knew this feeling was new.

Sara, Tasha and Patterson had taken the reigns and the wedding was turning out to be the event of the year. Kurt had been on board for the most part, he swore that they could do whatever they wanted until they began dragging Jane all over town planning. That was when he'd protested. He demanded quality time and they'd finally agreed to limit Jane's involvement to only twice a week. When they'd broken that vow for the second time, he'd begun accompanying them on their outings. He swore that it was the only way he'd get to see her.

Finally it was the big day. She'd lie if she didn't admit that she was looking forward to getting it behind them. Everything was perfect, but she wanted to just retreat with Kurt back to their place and lock the door.

"It's time," Patterson smiled over at her.

Jane turned to look at the three people she'd claimed as family with a radiant smile.

"Do I look okay?" She worried.

"You're beautiful," Reed assured her with a smile.

Tasha and Patterson were serving as her bridesmaids and Reed was giving her away before joining Kurt as his best man.

Jane watched as Patterson and Tasha made their way down the aisle. She knew she was clutching Reed's arm too tightly, but she was nervous. Not to marry Kurt…but that she might wake up and find out that this was all a dream.

Reed covered her hand with his, "Are you okay?"

"This is real...right?" Jane worried.

Reed squeezed her hand in reassurance, "Trust me, if this were a dream I wouldn't be wearing this light grey suit."

She laughed up at his pained expression.

Just then the wedding march began and Jane watched the doors open before catching her first glimpse of Kurt. Her entire focus narrowed down to him. The people watching her pass and even Reed standing beside her faded into nothing as she took the steps that would grant her every dream she'd ever had.

Kurt felt his breath catch as he watched Jane walk toward him. She always looked beautiful to him, but there was something about the dress and her radiant smile that touched him all the way to his soul. He wanted to remember that look on her face for the rest of his life.

It was only when they were a few steps away that her look changed. Fear seemed to replace happiness and he felt his own pulse race at her expression. He didn't wait for her to join him, but moved to intercept her.

"What's wrong?" He worried.

"What if this is just another dream?" Jane whispered.

Kurt felt his breath catch at the telling question. She'd dreamed of them together and then woken up and had to face their reality. He hadn't been alone in his torment.

Leaning down, he ignored convention and claimed her lips in a gentle salute.

"This is the first day of the rest of our life. When you wake up…I'll be there and when I wake up…you'll be there." He assured her.

She smiled up at him before resting her head against him while he kissed her forehead.

The ceremony went on without a hitch.

When it was time to kiss the bride…Jane looked up and watched as Kurt looked down at her with a tender expression before leaning in and reverently claiming her lips with his own.

When he pulled away she couldn't pull her eyes away from him. It was what saved him. The red dot in the center of his chest gave her just enough time to push him away from her with all of her strength. He fell backwards and the bullet that was meant for him slammed into her chest.

Jane flew backwards before landing hard. She only had time to turn her head to check that Kurt was unharmed before her eyes slid closed.

Kurt watched in horror as Jane hit the ground. It was only when the red began to stain her dress that he realized exactly what happened.

"Jane!" He screamed as he crawled over to her side and pulling her behind the pulpit.

Reed, Tasha and Patterson joined him moments later.

"How bad is it?" Tasha demanded.

Kurt was applying pressure to her chest, but the white just kept disappearing into the flood of red.

"She's going to bleed out," Patterson worried.

"No, she's not," Kurt barked back.

Agents from every branch immediately took control of the scene. The FBI, NSA, CIA and military intelligence went on the offensive as Kurt and their team worked on Jane.

"Is she…" Patterson trailed off in panic at how pale Jane had become.

"Patterson," Tasha warned her looking at Kurt in concern.

"She's alive," Reed assured them all.

Suddenly the medical personnel from the NYO were there. Watching them treat Jane in their wedding apparel made it all the more surreal.

"We need access," They warned the others.

All of them immediately fell back…all but Kurt.

He didn't move, he couldn't move. His hand was covering her wound and attempting to keep her from leaving him. He was failing. The red had seeped past her dress and begun to pool on the ground beneath her.

"Kurt," Tasha yelled at him, "You need to move. They can't help her if you don't get out of the way."

Reed leaned in and pulled him away. He was in shock, his entire focus on Jane's still form.

They worked on her urgently. The lace of her vail covered half of her pale cheek giving her an eternal look. When they called for Air Life there was no doubt about how serious her injury was.

Kurt was forced to watch them take her away not knowing if he would ever get a chance to see her alive again. Once the helicopter disappeared from view Kurt looked down at the blood that covered his hands and suddenly he felt weak. The ring she had so recently placed on his finger glinted in the sunlight and he began to shake.

"Kurt," It was Patterson who placed her arm around him. "We'll take you to the hospital."

Looking up at the concerned faces of their team…their family, Kurt drew on their strength when he had none left of his own.

"She's one of the strongest people we've ever known," Tasha insisted.

Kurt didn't say anything. His mind was in turmoil. He felt adrift in a way he hadn't since…he was ten. Jane had crumbled his defenses. She was necessary to him in a way that nobody had ever been. If he lost her…

"Kurt," Sara rushed over to his side.

He looked down at her blankly.

"Are you okay?" She worried.

He didn't answer.

"We're taking him to the hospital," Tasha explained.

"Allie's taking Sawyer," Sara explained, "I'll go with you."

It was a somber group. The ride to the hospital was endless. Kurt replayed the moment over and over in his head. The gunman had been aiming for him. She'd pushed him out of the way knowing…

He closed his eyes. She always did this. She placed no value on her own life. She thought by doing this she was saving him, but instead he was utterly destroyed. She was the best part of his life and if he lost her…

"Kurt," Sara worried.

He didn't answer her because he didn't hear her. His mind was on last night. Jane had laughingly insisted that Tasha and Patterson wanted her to stay with them the night before the wedding. He had not been amused. Patterson had sighted tradition and Tasha warned about bad luck, but Kurt had been adamant. Jane was with him. He'd discovered after their first night together that he could inexplicably not sleep if she wasn't within touching distance. He'd known then that he would marry her. She was so deeply entrenched inside his walls that he hadn't been willing to suffer a single night away from her. Not for tradition, not for any reason. They'd woken up this morning, limbs entwined, happy in a way that was still new for both of them.

The moment hadn't lasted long enough. The ladies had arrived on their doorstep too early and whisked Jane away to get ready. By then he'd been well and truly over this wedding crap. He just wanted to be with Jane without all the obligations that came with a wedding. If he could have, he would have eloped with her and been done with it. He knew she wouldn't have objected. Looking down at the blood on his hands he'd wished they'd done it. He didn't need this pomp and ceremony, he only needed Jane.

Just that quickly he was back at the moment he'd realized she'd been shot. She'd looked at him and their eyes had met. He'd seen her relief that he was unharmed before she'd lost consciousness. She still didn't understand. Physically, mentally, he would not be fine if he lost her. She held his heart and the sooner she realized exactly how necessary she was to him, she'd start taking more care with herself. If they still had time…

They arrived at the hospital in silence.

When they walked into the trauma center, it was Tasha that demanded information. He was grateful for her intervention, he needed to know, but he couldn't seem to focus enough to get the answers he needed.

"She's still in surgery." The nurse explained.

"So she made it to the hospital alive?" Patterson demanded tearfully.

"Yes," The nurse assured them.

Kurt saw the other's relief, but he was wound too tightly for that emotion. In fact after the initial panic he'd locked down all of his emotions. His walls were back up and fortified. He knew the others wanted to be there for him, but he needed to distance himself from them, from everyone. Until Jane opened her eyes and looked at him, he was simply in survival mode. He would breathe and wait. He had no room for anything or anyone else.

After their initial attempts, the others gave him the space he so desperately needed. They never left him and they continued to provide him with things he didn't see. Coffee, food all congregated on the table in the waiting room, ignored. Someone brought him a change of clothes, but that too was for not.

When a Doctor approached him, he felt this throat tighten and his heart race. He stood without a word and braced himself for whatever he was about to hear.

"Assistant Director Weller," The Doctor addressed him, "Your family is concerned about your condition. I think that we should check you for shock."

Kurt listened to the words but they didn't make any sense. Why wasn't he telling him about Jane?

"How's Jane?" He finally demanded hoarsely.

"She's still in surgery," The Doctor explained, "We need to check you out."

Kurt felt fury rise. "Until you can tell me exactly how my wife is," Kurt said in a voice like crushed leaves, "Leave me alone."

When he sat back down and retreated back inside his mind, the Doctor looked over at the team in concern.

"I can sedate him," He offered.

"No," Tasha denied, "He just needs to find out about Jane. We need an update…now." She told him with a hard voice.

"I'll see what I can find out." The Doctor hastily assured them.

"We should think about sedating him," Sara worried.

"He just needs to know that Jane is okay," Reed insisted.

"What if she's not?" Sara demanded with a sob.

Looking over at Kurt, Patterson whispered, "Then nothing will ever fix this. Jane changed Kurt. Without her…he will never be the same again."

"We won't lose him to this," Sara argued.

"Look at him," Patterson whispered, "This is the Kurt from before. He's distance, closed off and alone."

Sara looked at him with sad eyes. Patterson was right. This was the Kurt with the weight of the world on his shoulders and his entire identity was his job. This was the Kurt that had nothing more to lose. It broke her heart. Jane had changed Kurt and it was only now with the possibility of her loss that Sara realized just how much she had to thank her new sister-in-law for.

Two more hours passed without word. When the Surgeon finally entered the waiting room, the tension was unbearable.

He went straight to Kurt.

Kurt stood and waited.

"She made it through the surgery," The Doctor reassured him, "But she isn't out of the woods yet."

"When can I see her?" Kurt demanded immediately.

"She's still in recovery," The Surgeon explained, "I can take you back there for a few minutes, but until she's moved to the ICU you can't sit with her."

Kurt heard the other's relief. He knew he should feel…something, but it was as if he were watching everything from a great distance. Until he could see her, touch her and look into her eyes, he wasn't okay.

He followed the Doctor without a word.

Jane was in the bed and tubes and wires monitored her every function. She was pale and small. He walked over and gently picked up her hand. It was warm. Some of the tension in him unwound. Leaning over her he kissed her forehead gently. Closing his eyes he rested his cheek against hers and took his first deep breath. Centered once more he took comfort in her proximity. Today he'd almost lost her. He stayed as long as they allowed. It wasn't long enough. Walking back to the waiting room, his focus changed. With Jane once again anchoring him, now he wanted answers, now he wanted blood.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters.

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Kurt looked through glass at the man in the interrogation room. He was being questioned by Reed and Zapata. He wasn't talking. Kurt felt his hands clench. He wanted in that room. This was the man that shot Jane. He might have been aiming for Kurt, but the outcome had been far worse. They'd picked him up before Jane had even been out of surgery. Director Hirst was taking a personal interest to ensure this case was solved…legally. There was a guard outside the door, but it wasn't to keep the prisoner in, it was to keep Kurt out. He looked at the man standing between him and his goal.

"Don't even think about it," Patterson warned him.

"This is going nowhere," Kurt growled.

"We will figure this out," Patterson assured him.

It wasn't enough to figure it out. He needed to make him pay.

Reed slammed his hand down on the table drawing their attention back to the interrogation.

"Who are you working for?" Reed repeated.

The man said nothing.

"What do we have on him?" Kurt looked at Patterson.

"Nothing." She admitted. "No name, no background, facial recognition didn't find him. He's not talking."

"What about the weapon?" Kurt demanded.

"He's a professional." Patterson admitted. "No serial number on the gun."

Kurt rubbed his face in frustration. He needed to get back to the hospital. Jane had been transferred to ICU and Kurt had sat with her for hours. She hadn't woken up. He needed that even more than he needed answers, but it was apparent that he was doomed to be frustrated on all fronts.

He'd left Sara with Jane and there were two guards at the door, but until he knew exactly what was going on, he felt the need to be close. The one thing Jane had always had, but never needed was his protection. She'd always been strong in her own right. This was the first time he felt like he was her shield against the threats they still didn't understand. For the first time she was completely helpless and it was making him more than a little crazy.

"I need to get back to the hospital." Kurt worried.

Patterson whole heartedly agreed. Things were tense enough without Kurt just waiting for his opportunity with the suspect. It was adding an edge to the investigation that wasn't helping.

"I can drive you," Patterson offered.

"No," Kurt denied, "You're more valuable here. Keep me updated."

"We will," Patterson assured him watching him go.

Kurt arrived back at the hospital and didn't wait for the elevator. He took the stairs two at a time until he reached Jane's floor. Pushing open the door he made his way to Jane's room. The guards nodded to him and allowed his passage. Sara rose when he joined her.

"Has she woken up?" Kurt worried.

"No," Sara denied with a troubled frown.

"What did the Doctor say?" Kurt demanded with a scowl.

"It's still early," Sara reminded him, "She had major surgery. It's just going to take some time."

Kurt leaned over Jane and nuzzled her cheek. The contact was necessary.

"So they caught the guy?" Sara asked in relief.

"The shooter," Kurt agreed.

"You make it sound like the person that shot Jane might not be the one behind it." Sara worried.

"We think he might be a professional." Kurt admitted.

"Assassin?" Sara clarified in horror.

"Yeah," Kurt confirmed.

"But…" Sara realized, "He was aiming for you."

Kurt flinched at that reminder.

"Kurt…" Sara worried.

"I'll be careful," Kurt interrupted her.

She had to be satisfied with that. If there was one thing she knew about her brother it was that he never turned his back on his responsibilities, even when he'd been too young to shoulder them.

"I need to go check on Sawyer," Sara admitted.

"Thanks for staying with her," Kurt said, still focused on Jane.

"Of course," Sara agreed.

She left and Kurt sank down on the side of Jane's bed. Reaching up he began running his hand down the side of her cheek. His face pulled into a frown when he felt the heat. Reaching up he placed his hand against her forehead. She definitely had a fever. Reaching over Kurt depressed the call button and waited impatiently for the nurse.

It was the Doctor that pushed open the door.

Kurt felt his tension level spike at the look on his face.

"Why hasn't she woken up?" He demanded, "I think she might have a fever."

"She's not waking up," The Doctor explained, "Because she has developed a fever."

"What?" Kurt shook his head.

"You wife's surgery went well," The Doctor explained, "But she's developed an infection. The decision was made to keep her sedated to ensure that the blood loss and fever don't result in any lasting physical damage."

"My wife's in a coma?" Kurt felt his stomach knot.

"A medically induced coma," The Doctor confirmed.

"So you're worried about what?" Kurt demanded, "Brain damage?"

"We don't have any indication that she's suffered any lasting damage," The Doctor assured him, "But her body needs time to heal and we're giving that to her."

"How long?" Kurt demanded.

"We're monitoring her and will make that decision based on her progress." The Doctor explained, "A week, maybe two, I can't say with certainty."

Once the Doctor left, Kurt sank weakly back down on the side of the bed. She wasn't waking up. He'd been living for the moment that she would open her eyes, to know that she would get through this. He would have to wait. His wants and needs would have to come second. It was a sacrifice he was more than willing to make to ensure she had the best chance. His determination didn't make the wait any easier.

It felt more manageable when he was touching her. The warmth of her skin, the reassuring rise and fall of her chest…the fever had caused a gentle flush to her cheek. Kurt reached over and threaded his fingers through hers. His ring sat on his finger, both reassuring and painful. Her fingers were bare.

A commotion in the hallway drew his attention. Pulling his gun, he moved toward the doorway. Looking over his shoulder he looked at Jane and halted. He wasn't leaving her vulnerable to find out exactly what was happening.

He stood ready and waited. When one of the guards entered the room, gun drawn, Kurt demanded, "What's going on?"

"We caught sight of Roman," He explained.

"Are you sure?" Kurt demanded.

"Yes," The Agent verified, "I was one of his detail. I'm sure."

"Stay with her," Kurt demanded, exiting the room.

It took less than twenty minutes to accept that Roman was gone.

Kurt re-entered Jane's room to find that Tasha was now standing next to the bed, gun drawn.

"Anything?" She demanded.

"No," Kurt denied, "He got away."

"Do you think he…" Tasha looked over at Jane.

"I don't know," Kurt admitted.

"Why isn't she awake yet?" Tasha demanded in frustration.

Kurt explained about the infection and the medically induced coma.

"Are you okay?" Tasha finally asked him when he trailed off.

"Not really," Kurt admitted, "Did the shooter ever make a statement?"

"No," Tasha denied, "Hirst called in Keaton."

"So he's out of our custody?" Kurt demanded.

"Yes," Tasha admitted.

Kurt looked away with a hard jaw. There was no doubt the man that shot Jane would pay, but Kurt wouldn't be the one to dole it out. He resented Hirst's decision.

Suddenly the door pushed open and Kurt and Tasha both raised their guns. Nas entered.

"Nas," Tasha lowered her gun in surprise.

Kurt lowered his as well, but didn't put it away.

"Well this clearly isn't working," She told them walking over and looking down at Jane in concern.

"Do you have something for us?" Kurt asked without responding to her comments.

"A reality check," Nas said turning toward him, "You can't keep Jane here."

"Well she's not exactly ready to be discharged," Tasha pointed out.

"Her medical information is too public," Nas insisted, "A medically induced coma can last for weeks."

"How do you know her diagnosis?" Kurt asked with a tick in his jaw.

"You know how," Nas admitted without apology.

Omaha was a bone of contention between Nas and Kurt. She'd been trying to feed him information for months and he'd been unwilling to follow leads that were obtained illegally.

"What do you propose?" Kurt demanded.

"She needs to be moved someplace less pubic," Nas insisted, "A private facility under an assumed name."

"I'm not sending her somewhere off by herself," Kurt denied.

"Well you can't expect to keep her location a secret if you come and go. You can either keep her safe by pursuing the case or you can abandon the case and go with her. You can't do both."

"I won't leave her," Kurt denied.

"Then go," Tasha easily agreed.

"Kurt," Nas said quietly, "She won't know you're even there. She's going to be kept in a coma. You will do more good in the field trying to find out who's targeting you both."

Kurt heard her words and understood her logic, but his feelings for Jane had nothing to do with logic. There would be no way he was strong enough to send her away from him in her current condition.

"I'm going with Jane," He would not be deterred.

"Jane wasn't the target," Nas brutally reminded him, "You're need to keep Jane safe might be the one thing ensuring that she isn't."

Kurt could say nothing.

"Let us help you," Nas implored.

Tasha watched Kurt struggle with a worried frown.

"You should go with Jane," Tasha insisted.

"Nas is right," Kurt realized, "Jane wasn't the target, I was."

"That doesn't make her safe," Tasha insisted.

Kurt was torn. He needed to be with Jane, but this wasn't about him, but protecting her. He'd been the target. If he stayed with her, would that put her at greater risk? He didn't have any answers and it was becoming apparent that until he did being with Jane was a luxury that they couldn't afford. He was being selfish.

"Where will you take her?" Kurt worried.

"I won't tell you that," Nas insisted.

"Kurt," Tasha protested.

"This isn't about what I need," Kurt interrupted Tasha, "This is about what is best for Jane."

"I need to be updated on her prognosis," Kurt insisted.

"Every day," Nas agreed. "You can check on her as much as you need."

"Fine," Kurt relented, "Give me a moment."

Tasha and Nas left silently.

Kurt moved back to Jane's bedside and sat back down.

"Jane," He whispered, "I don't know if you can hear me…I love you. Nas is going to hide you until we can find out what's happening. I'll find out what's going on, concentrate on getting better."

He leaned down and kissed her lips softly. Closing his eyes he savored the feel of her against his face. It took him thirty minutes to gather the strength to let her go. Walking from the room he already regretted his decision, but he knew he had little choice.

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Jane didn't know what was going on. He body was heavy and everything hurt. Keaton's face swam behind her eyes and gargoyles chewed on her limbs. She kept calling for Kurt, but she couldn't find him. Moving in agitation she felt restrained in a way that was familiar and terrifying. What was happening? She fell back into the black abyss confused and alone.

Nas stood next the man leaning over Jane.

"How much longer?" She demanded.

"It's extensive," The man reminded her, "It's going to take time."

"We don't have time," She reminded him with a scowl.

"Weller giving you grief?" The man smirked.

"He changed him mind within three hours," Nas admitted.

"Sucks to be you," The man knew Weller.

"When I refused to tell him where Jane was, he wasn't amused," Nas admitted.

"Wait until he finds out what you did," The man pointed out.

"He's not going to find out," Nas denied.

The man put down the tattoo pen and stretched.

"I'm done." He assured her.

"It's about time," She said in relief.

"These tattoos won't heal overnight," He reminded her.

"I know that," She said impatiently.

"Well how are you going to hold Weller off for another two weeks?"

"I'm not going to take his calls," Nas admitted.

"You do know what you're doing is illegal?" The man asked seriously.

"I've been trying to get Weller to follow these leads for months," Nas reminded the man, "He won't take the information we have from Omaha any other way."

"You realize you're getting really close to becoming the woman that started all of this to begin with?" The man taunted her.

"I'm nothing like Sheppard," Nas denied affronted.

"The end justifies the means," The man said seriously.

"The good of the many outweigh the good of the few," Nas argued.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," The man unstrapped Jane and started putting away his tools.

Nas didn't want think too much about what she'd just done. If Kurt ever found out it was her…she pushed the thought aside. He couldn't and she'd do anything to keep that from happening.

Looking down at Jane, Nas leaned over and pushed her hair back gently. He fever was gone and they would bring her out of the coma in a few days. Once that happened, Nas would contact Kurt and ensure that the information in the new tattoos was found. If she was really lucky she would be included in the new investigation and everything would be on track.

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	3. Chapter 3

I don't own Blindspot or any of these wonderful characters.

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Jane became aware of her surroundings slowly. The first thing she identified was the pain. It was a familiar feeling. She didn't move, but opened her eyes slowly, attempting to take stock of her circumstances before anyone was aware that she was conscious.

She was in a hospital bed, but not in a hospital. She shifted her eyes to take in more of her surroundings.

The empty chair beside the bed made her pause.

 _This is not a dream…when you wake up I'll be there and when I wake up you'll be there._

Everything snapped back into place. Where was Kurt?  
Her accelerated heart beat gave her away.

"Good, you're awake," Nas said from beside the bed.

Jane turned toward the NSA agent in confusion.

"Wh…" She coughed. "Where's Kurt?"

Nas reached over and gave her some ice chips while answering her.

"He's fine," She assured Jane. "Until we figure out who shot you and why, he thought it would be a good idea to keep you isolated."

"Where am I?" Jane looked around.

"You're in a private care facility," Nas explained, "You've been here almost three weeks."

"Three weeks?" Jane was stunned.

"The surgery went well, but you developed an infection. You were kept in a medically induced coma for a few weeks to give your body time to heal." Nas explained.

Jane raised her hand up to her forehead. She paused when she realized that her rings were gone. Her overwhelming fears that it had all been a dream seemed to loomed even larger.

Her arms itched. Reaching over she began to scratch at them.

"No," Nas denied, stopping her. "The anesthesia makes you itch, you shouldn't scratch or you might damage yourself."

Jane let her hand fall back to her side.

"When will Kurt be here?" Jane finally asked.

"I'll call him and tell him you're awake," Nas assured her.

"Does he come after work?" Jane pressed. She needed Kurt.

"He hasn't been here since you've been moved," Nas denied, "He thought it was best until they could figure out what was going on."

"He hasn't been here…at all?" Jane felt her heart sink.

"It was just too dangerous," Nas explained.

Jane didn't say anything. In truth she couldn't. Closing her eyes she waited while she heard Nas move away. Kurt hadn't come to visit her at all…for weeks. It was too dangerous…she was too dangerous.

She'd known that all along and it would seem that he'd finally figured it out too. Her missing rings took on a new significance.

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Kurt was sitting in his office when his phone rang.

"Weller," He answered.

"She's awake," Nas told him.

Kurt shot up from his chair. He was furious with Nas. After weeks of avoiding his calls she drops this bombshell.

"Where is she?" He demanded immediately. It had been the longest three weeks of his life. Their case had gone nowhere and Jane's whereabouts had proven just as illusive. He received daily updates on her prognosis, but Nas had stopped taking his calls.

Nas provided him the address.

Kurt hung up and headed toward the door. His heart was racing. She was awake… _awake!_

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Jane sat up in bed gingerly. She was weak. She'd actually fallen asleep earlier and she didn't know exactly how much time had passed. Not that it really mattered at this point…

Suddenly the door opened and Kurt was framed in the opening.

Jane couldn't prevent the gasp that escaped.

He was beside her in an instant. He reached up and cupped her face running his thumb over her trembling lips.

"Hi," Jane whispered.

"Hi," He whispered back with a blinding smile. Looking deeply into her eyes he seemed to relax. Leaning in he saluted her lips with his own before pulling her against his chest carefully.

Jane rested against him content to savor his familiar warmth and scent.

He pulled back to look down at her, "How do you feel?" He worried.

"Sore," Jane admitted, "and…itchy."

"Itchy?" Kurt smiled down at her.

"Nas said it was a side effect of the anesthesia," Jane explained.

"What did the Doctor say?" Kurt worried.

"I haven't seen a Doctor…" Jane trailed off.

"You haven't seen the Doctor?" Kurt asked incredulously.

She shook her head warily. Kurt seemed suddenly angry.

Realizing that she was still groggy and confused, Kurt's expression softened. Unable to resist he leaned down and scooped her up before settling her on his lap.

Jane couldn't hide her surprised expression.

He settled back against the bed and savored the feel of her in his arm once more. He needed this. The past few weeks…the sleepless nights, the worry, the sense of loss and frustration were riding him hard.

She settled against him in a way that was achingly familiar. With her head resting on his chest, Kurt closed his eyes.

The door opened and Kurt's eyes flew open. Nas stood there.

"I told you I would watch out for her." She reminded him.

"You kept her from me," Kurt accused her, "Wouldn't take my calls."

"It was for the best," Nas insisted, "You agreed."

"Why hasn't she seen the Doctor since she woke up?" Kurt demanded.

"He's seen her," Nas assured him, "She was sleeping."

"What'd he say?" Kurt waited.

"Her recovery is remarkable," Nas admitted. "Her surgical scar has healed nicely, the infection is gone. She's been suffering from itching, but that's to be expected."

"If she's doing so well," Kurt questioned, "Why was she kept in the coma for so long?"

"Look Kurt," Nas sighed, "She was given the care she needed. I know it's been hard, but it was the right call."

"When can she come home?" Kurt asked.

"She needs to stay here overnight," Nas explained, "Make sure her body resumes its normal functions on its own, but she should be ready by tomorrow."

"I'm staying," Kurt insisted.

"Of course," Nas agreed, "I'll have food sent in for you."

Once they were alone once more, Kurt realized that Jane had fallen asleep against his chest. He pulled her more fully against him. Her proximity was satisfying a need in him that had been too long denied. Closing his eyes he savored everything about the moment. She was alive, with him. The look she'd given him when he walked in soothed his ravaged senses.

Running his hand down her spine he let his muscles relax. He's sure he hasn't slept a full night through since the night before the wedding. He didn't sleep now either. He needed this time with her to believe it was real. That she was real. His wife. His partner. His love…alive and with him.

Jane stirred less than an hour later.

"Kurt?" She said before she even opened her eyes.

"I'm here."

"Should you be here?" Jane worried, "Nas said you didn't want to come here because it was too dangerous."

"For you," Kurt insisted.

"You haven't come to see me in a few weeks…" Jane trailed off, "Are you still working the case?"

"We caught the shooter," Kurt explained, "He's not talking. We think he's a professional. Hirst turned him over to Keaton."

Jane trembled at that disclosure.

"So do I stay here?" Jane worried.

"No," Kurt denied harshly, "You come home with me."

"Are you sure?" Jane looked up at him hesitantly.

"I've been waiting for this day for weeks," Kurt admitted, "I'm sure."

The door opened and the Doctor came in.

"I hate to interrupt," He smiled at the picture they made, "But if you want to go home tomorrow, you need to try to get up and walk today."

Kurt's arms tighten protectively before reluctantly releasing her and sliding out from under her.

Jane allowed him to assist her as she sat up. With her legs dangling over the side she waited as she attempted to build up the strength she needed to stand. Never had such a simple task seemed so insurmountable.

Kurt wanted nothing more than to assist her, but the Doctor shot him a warning look.

He should have known Jane was more than up for the task. Within moments she'd pushed herself from the bed and stood on trembling legs. She took a few hesitant steps before Kurt gave into his pressing need to assist her. He put out his arm and she placed her hand into the crook of his for support.

She made two laps around the room, before he insisted on helping her back to the bed.

"That's a great start." The Doctor approved, noting her chart.

Sitting on the edge of the bed Jane whispered, "I need to use the bathroom."

Embarrassed she wasn't prepared for Kurt to immediately swing her up into his arms and head that way.

When he lowered her down in front of the toilet, she leaned against him to get her bearings.

"You need help?" He worried.

"No," Jane blushed, "Thanks."

He smiled down at her expression before kissing her forehead and leaving her to it.

The Doctor was waiting for him when he returned.

"She's doing remarkably well." He assured Kurt, "Standing, using the restroom, these are the things she needs to do to be released."

"What else?" Kurt worried.

"We're going to reintroduce solid food," The Doctor explained. "Something light, broth, pudding and make sure it stays down."

"Then she can come home?" Kurt confirmed.

"Then she's all yours." The Doctor agreed.

 _She was always mine_ , Kurt thought savagely. They had kept him from her.

The door to the bathroom opened and Kurt was beside Jane in an instant.

"You should have called me," He chided picking her back up.

"I'm okay," Jane assured him, all the while settling back against him in relief.

Kurt's arms tightened around her possessively. He knew she needed her independence, but he needed her proximity more. He had no doubt that Jane would be in full fighting form before he knew it, but until then she was his to protect. Feeling the trembling that her exertion has caused he was unapologetic about his need to coddle.

"I'll have the food sent in," The Doctor said with a little smile.

Neither Kurt of Jane seemed to notice his departure.

Kurt lowered her back down on the bed and she scooted over to make room for him. It was a small bed, but neither of them complained. When Kurt was settled next to her, he wrapped on arm around her and pulled her against his side. She in turn threw one of her lets across his and rested her face against his neck. The feel of her breath on his neck sent goosebumps down his arms. Turning toward her more fully he used both arms to settle her against him and signed in contentment. This is what he needed.

Jane felt Kurt's heat warming all the cold places in her soul. It seemed like a lifetime since the morning of the wedding. She could just imagine how he must feel. The future, the past all faded away when she was in his arms. He settled her in a way she'd never understood, but always needed. It didn't make any logical sense, but the feeling was undeniable.

"I love you," She whispered against his chest.

His arms tightened noticeably. "I love you too," He whispered into her hair.

She smiled against him before succumbing to sleep once more. This time he didn't fight it. Joining her he relaxed for the first time in what seemed like a lifetime.

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Roman sat in a car watching the building Weller had disappeared into. This had to be where Jane was. He'd been waiting and watching for weeks. He'd begun to suspect she hadn't made it.

Sitting in front of the building he raised his eyebrows when he saw the NSA agent Nas leaving. That explained some things. The man with her made him tense. He recognized him. Jane's tattoos were specialized, unique. There were only a handful of artists in the world that could have accomplished them in such a short time period. This man was one of them. He hadn't been directly involved with Jane before, but Sheppard had considered him. He had no idea what was going on, but he was determined to find out.

The irony wasn't lost on him. Jane had stolen his past away and then turned around and given up her future. He didn't know what was worse, losing a past he didn't remember or giving up a future you looked forward to. Either way the dye was cast. Jane had begun to build a life she could never live. He didn't know if she already was beginning to realize it or if he would have to be the one to tell her. Regardless her time was running out.


	4. Chapter 4

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters.

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Kurt carried Jane over the threshold. Technically he carried her all the way from the garage, but it still gave her heart a little catch.

He placed her on the couch and moved back over toward the door. He took great satisfaction from turning the lock ensuring that everyone was locked out. He'd wanted time alone with her for longer than he could remember. After everything that happened, he needed it.

Turning around he looked at her with his complete focus.

Jane shifted at that look. It made her heart race and her face flush.

Smiling he stalked her before scooping her up and settling her back on his lap. His hand slid under her shirt and began to rub circles on her back.

She moaned.

He shifted.

She could feel the effect she was having on him in satisfaction.

"We can't…" Kurt reminded himself aloud.

Jane knew he was right, but she could in no way resist him, she needed him so much.

When she leaned in and stole a kiss it was his turn to groan.

He was the one that deepened the kiss, but she was the one that began to unbutton his shirt.

He pulled back reluctantly.

"No," He insisted, still holding her tightly.

"Maybe…just a little?" Jane whispered in his ear before nipping his lobe.

She was killing him.

"Jane," He captured her hands.

"We technically aren't really married…until…" She trailed off and looked up at him shyly.

"No you don't," Kurt chided with a little chuckle, "Our marriage was just a formality. You've been mine and I've been yours almost from the beginning."

Jane's eyes jerked up to meet his. That's exactly how she'd always felt…to know that he had too surprised her.

He reached up and smoothed her hair behind her ear, "You okay?"

"I'm great," Jane agreed with a trembling smile.

When Kurt just looked at her, Jane's smile slipped, "Are you okay?" She worried.

"I am now," He agreed seriously.

She reached up and placed her hand against his stubble cheek. He nuzzled it with his eyes closed.

"I'm sorry," She said with remorse.

"What were you trying to do?" Kurt finally asked her the question that had haunted him every moment without her.

"When I saw that red dot on your chest…" Jane trailed off with remembered pain, "I didn't think at all, I just wanted to protect you."

"Do you really think dying in an attempt to save me is what I would want?" Kurt wanted to shake her.

"I just…couldn't let you die," Jane looked down.

"Being alive isn't all there is to living," Kurt argued, "Living without you…that isn't saving me."

"Kurt," Jane measured her words, "You're an amazing man, strong in a way that few people are. If I had died…you would have still gone on. You would have still had a full life surrounded by people that loved you and that you loved."

It was only then that Kurt realized that Jane had no idea just how much he needed her. He was different with her so she couldn't see what everyone else already knew.

Before he could clarify her misconception she began to cough. He held her straining body securely while she attempted to get herself back under control.

"Sorry," She told him when she was finally able to stop.

"The Doctor said that it was normal," Kurt reminded her, "You're body needs to expel the fluid in your lungs so you don't get pneumonia."

Taking a shuttering breath, Jane just nodded.

"Let's get you to bed," Kurt insisted rising with her in his arms easily.

Jane held on when he carried her down the hallway.

"Do you think I could take a shower?" Jane worried.

"Your wound is closed," Kurt agreed, "Do you need some help?"

Remembering their track record in the shower, Jane smiled up at him. "Sure."

Kurt just shook his head, "Minx."

"Just sit me on the bench," Jane conceded, "I can take it from there."

"I won't be far," Kurt assured her.

"Protect your own virtue," Jane teased him.

"I'm protecting my world," Kurt denied seriously looking at her as though she was everything he'd ever wanted.

Jane sobered at his poignant words. Who wouldn't love this man?

He didn't go anywhere. He turned on the water and helped her with her clothes. She sat on the bench and he washed her hair. When she was done he turned off the water and held out a towel. He dried her body, getting a second towel for her hair. Once she was no longer dripping, he lowered the towel and studied the new scar on her chest.

Looking down Jane worried, "Is it awful?"

It would be a constant reminder of her love for him and the lengths she would go. It was just another thing that made her beautiful.

"It hurts me to realize just how closely I came to losing you, but you're beautiful and no scar could ever change that."

Seeing how she was wilting, he picked her up and carried her to bed.

She crawled beneath the sheets and snuggled into the cover with a sleepy yawn. He watched her with an indulgent expression.

"I'm going to shower," He told her with a smile, "I'll be right out."

Jane made a noncommittal hum of agreement.

He took less than five minutes, but when he came back into the room she was sleeping soundly.

He knew he was pressing his luck, but he couldn't resist climbing in beside her sans pajamas. Pulling her flush against him he ran his hand back down her spine.

With nothing separating them at last and the door barred against intrusion he finally got the sleep he so desperately needed…

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Jane woke up toasty warm. Unlike her confusion from yesterday, she knew exactly where she was and who was with her. The rise and fall of the chest pressed against her back was achingly familiar. The arm wrapped around her waist anchored her tightly. It was the hand that cupped her own that made her smile. It was close enough that she could lean over and salute it with a kiss. She didn't even try to resist the temptation.

Kurt felt her gentle caress and closed his eyes at the catch her action caused to his heart. His love for her could easily become an obsession he realized with ready acceptance.

"Good morning," He greeted her planting a kiss on the side of her neck.

When she turned her face up to him she had that sleepy tousled look that always did things to him. Today was no exception.

Feeling him stirring against her she greeted him back, "It could be a very good morning."

He groaned.

She smiled.

"For someone that was so determined to save me," Kurt accused her, "You're killing me."  
Reaching her hand back she encouraged him, "You can do all the work…"

He was only human. What followed was unlike any time before. He'd always been careful with her, but there was a new element to his touch and new tenderness to his caresses that made tears well up in her eyes. Seeing them he kissed them away with a smile full of love.

It was a good thing it was Saturday, because their good morning stretched into late afternoon. If it hadn't been for the need to eat, who knows how long it might have lasted. Even as they reluctantly rose from the bed, each knew that their time together hadn't been nearly enough. Moving toward the kitchen they maintained contact. Their hands intertwined, their eyes finding the others again and again…connected in a way that could never be satisfied. Necessary in a way that could never be denied…

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"She's awake?" Tasha repeated in disbelief, "And he didn't call us?"

"He's bringing her in this morning," Patterson explained.

"But…" Tasha couldn't believe he'd waited until today to notify them.

Reed looked at her and waited for her to understand. He could tell by the building tension in her back that he was going to have to help her, "If he had called us, we would have descended on them immediately."

"Of course we would have!" Tasha agreed.

When he just looked at her expectantly she realized why that might not have been welcome.

"Oh," She wasn't one to become embarrassed, but she could feel her face flush.

Patterson had no pity for her and laughed in her face.

Reed joined her moments later.

"Jerks," Tasha accused them.

"You love us," Reed denied.

"Maybe," Tasha agreed, "But its times like this I don't know why."  
"We need to celebrate with…cake." Patterson decided.

"It's not a birthday party," Reed teased her.

"I know that," Patterson pushed him, "But they never got to cut the cake…"

At that reminder the others fell silent.

"They do need cake," Tasha agreed.

"You can't just pick up a ready-made wedding cake," Reed insisted.

"The shooting was all over the news. It generated a lot of public support. I bet if we call the bakery that made their wedding cake, they might be able to help us." Patterson suggested.

"Well, if anyone can make this happen," Reed agreed, "It's you."  
"Aww," Patterson patted him on the back in approval, "Thanks."

Seeing the determination on her face Reed and Tasha shared a little smile. Determined Patterson was always a sight to behold.

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"Are you sure you're up for this?" Kurt worried not for the first time.

"Sitting on the couch in your office?" Jane clarified, "Pretty sure."

"If you push yourself too hard," Kurt insisted.

"Kurt," Jane interrupted, "I'm fine."

Looking down at her he knew he was overreacting, but even that knowledge didn't stop him.

"If you get tired," He reminded her, "I can carry you."

His arm was already around her waist and he was supporting most of her weight already.

"I can't build up any strength if I let you do everything," She reminded him.

Remembering how she used that argument earlier that morning, Kurt looked down at her with heat.

She smiled up at him with a crinkle of her nose.

"You do that on purpose," Kurt accused her with a smile of his own.

"I know," Jane readily admitted.

The elevator doors opened and they were immediately greeted with cheers and clapping.

Jane looked taken back for a moment before she blushed and moved more tightly against Kurt.

He smiled down at her while she buried her face in his shoulder before kissing the top of her head.

She was so bold with him that it wasn't until she retreated from others that he realized just how lucky he actually was. Nobody saw Jane like he did. He didn't know how he'd gotten so lucky, but he knew with certainty that he was.

Suddenly the team was there. Jane was stripped away from his side before he knew what was happening. Patterson was crying and Tasha was teasing her. Reed had both his arms around Jane was in the process of lifting her off her feet. She returned his embrace with a little laugh.

Kurt waited impatiently for his chance to reclaim her. He knew the others needed to reassure themselves that she was back, but he did not share well.

"That's enough," Kurt insisted after what felt like eternity, but in reality had only been a few minutes, "She needs to sit down."

Jane would have rolled her eyes if he hadn't been right. She was beginning to feel shaky.

Kurt reeled her back in and continued to his office. He settled her on the couch before joining her.

"Okay?" He verified.

She smiled up at him in reassurance, "All good."

Reed, Patterson and Zapata all crowded around with smiles.

"You look really good for a woman that's been in a coma," Tasha noted.

"If it weren't for the itching," Jane admitted rubbing her arm absently, "and fatigue, I'd feel fine."

"Itching?" Patterson frowned down at them.

"Nas said that it was a result of the anesthesia," Jane explained.

"I've never heard of that," Patterson denied.

"It's getting better," Jane assured Kurt at his troubled frown.

"Any new developments?" Kurt asked the others.

When they shared a look he demanded, "What?"

"Keaton contacted us this morning," Patterson explained.

"Was he able to get Intel?" Kurt demanded.

"No," She denied, "The man that shot Jane is dead."

"What?" Kurt asked with a tick in his jaw.

"The assassin was killed by a sniper when he was being transported." Patterson explained.

Jane tensed. Sheppard had ensured that both she and Roman were trained as snippers.

Kurt could feel the tension and didn't need to question it. There was only one person that caused that reaction in his wife.

"Any leads on who did it?" Kurt clarified.

"None," Patterson admitted.

He shared a look with Jane, but said nothing about their suspicions. She looked up at him gratefully. This family dynamic would always be a challenge, but seeing the look on his wife's face made even that uncertainty worth it. If he could he would protect her from the hurt he feared was coming. As it was, he could only be there for her to help put the pieces back together once it was done.

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Jane looked at the cake before them in disbelief. It was an exact replica of the one they chosen for their wedding.

The conference room was overflowing with people, even Sara and Sawyer had made an appearance.

"How did you do this?" Jane looked at the team with tears in her eyes.

"It was Patterson," Tasha explained.

Jane reached over and grabbed Patterson's hand and squeezed.

Patterson whipped her eyes and encouraged them, "Cut the cake."

Kurt looked down at Jane and together they reached for the knife. He fed her a bite and she held one up for him. Heat flared low in her stomach when he licked the icing from her finger.

Sara used up half the memory in her phone taking pictures, their love evident for all to see.


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own Blindspot or any of these wonderful characters.

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Kurt looked down at Jane sleeping beside him. It had been two weeks since she'd been brought out of the coma and he still found himself watching her obsessively. He thought it would get better with time, but it hadn't. If anything it was worse now because she was strong enough to rejoin the team on ops.

On one hand he was happy to have her with him on the other after watching her almost die…any time shots were fired he was on the verge of a panic attack. The first week it had been easy enough to sit her on the sideline, the second week she'd been getting antsy. Yesterday was the first time she'd been in the field. The subject had fled while his lackey's provided him cover fire. Kurt had not been amused. When Jane had exposed her position so that Reed could come up behind them Kurt had all but lost his shit. It was their first real fight as a married couple.

Remembering the hurt look on her face when he yelled at her, he closed his eyes in remorse. She hadn't deserved it, but she scared him. They'd spoken very little on the way back to the NYO, but when they gotten home Kurt had been unable to resist her personal space. After a moment of shocked disbelief, Jane had been firmly on board. As a result this morning he was tired, but sated.

Before she could stir his phone began ringing on the nightstand. Groaning he reached for it with one hand while tightening his arm around her with the other.

By the time he'd hung up with Patterson Jane was watching him with a soft expression.

Jane listened to Kurt on the phone. She'd never get tired of the sound of his voice. She smiled a little when his arm tightened around her absently. She loved everything about him. Even his stubborn, I'm in charge bossy ways. She hadn't understood his reaction yesterday at all…until they'd gotten home and he'd all but ravished her on the living room couch. She'd realized then why he'd reacted the way he had. She should have realized it sooner, but she'd been hurt and angry when he accused her of being reckless. It took her a moment to realize he was off the phone.

"Patterson?" She verified looking up at him with a little smile.

He just watched her for a moment before abruptly confirming, "Yeah."

"I don't suppose she was just calling to say hi," Jane teased.

Kurt gave a little laugh, "No."

"Is this going to require us to skip breakfast?" Jane asked in weary acceptance.

"No," Kurt denied, "I'm definitely going to feed you, but we do need to get on with it."

Groaning Jane began to pull away. He tightened his arm. She looked up at him in surprise.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," He told her seriously.

"It's okay," Jane assured him, raising her hand to his cheek.

Leaning down he kissed her in a gentle and apologetic salute.

She returned the caress with a smile.

"Remind me to write Patterson up," Kurt said once he pulled away, "These early morning calls have got to stop."

Jane laughed at his pained expression.

"Who are you kidding?" Jane scoffed, "Patterson's got your number and we all know it."

Kurt grinned but denied nothing.

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"You have to know that this plan was ridiculous," The man accused Nas with a shake of his head.

"How else was I supposed to get Weller to use the Intel from Omaha?" Nas demanded in frustration.

"How are you going to keep him from figuring out where these tattoos came from?"

"What do you mean?" Nas said in frustration.

"Well…" The man looked at her, "Kurt Weller knows every move Jane makes. He guards her more closely that the Secret Service watches the President. Do you really think when she suddenly has new tattoos that he's not going to immediately know you must have had something to do with this? Where else was she out of his sight for more than a minute?"

"What do suggest I do?" Nas conceded that she hadn't fully thought this through. It had been an impulse based on an unexpected opportunity. She'd spent so much time on the clues she hadn't looked at the bigger picture. It would only take Patterson a nanosecond to determine the age of these tattoos and Kurt would be all over her.

"You're going to have to come up with an alternative scenario," The man finally said, "Jane's going to have to disappear."

"What?" Nas looked at the man in disbelief.

"Well," He told her, "You either abduct Jane Weller, help her lose a little time, or you walk right in to the NYO and confess."

Nas could feel herself getting in to deeper water. What had seemed like such a good idea was about to drown her.

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Roman looked through the scope and watched his sister cross the parking lot with Weller leading point. She was back in the field. He tracked them silently.

Moving his rifle he panned the tops of the roofs. He almost missed him. The man sighting them was at least half a mile away. He's sole focus was the two people beneath him. Roman took a breath, letting it half out he pulled the trigger. The sound was muffled by the silencer. He watched for a moment until his shot struck. When the man slumped to the side, Roman did another quick sweep of the high points before he began to disassemble his weapon, the two people now entering the building not realizing just how close their call had been.

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Jane looked down at the body of the man and then back up at Kurt.

"Sniper," She told him.

He pulled her away from the edge of the roof and moved between her and the view from the other buildings.

"He hasn't been dead that long," Kurt worried.

To Kurt's dismay, Jane moved past him and leaned over the side looking down.

"Don't do that," He warned her, pulling her back.

"If he was alive when we breached the building…he had the perfect vantage point." She warned him.

"Let's go," Kurt insisted.

"What?" Jane looked at him without comprehension.

"Until we clear the other buildings, we need to get off this roof." He insisted.

Considering this was the third sniper attack since Jane was shot at their wedding, she could hardly argue.

"Clear the roof," Kurt warned in the coms, "We need to secure the surrounding buildings before we proceed.

Jane tried to follow Kurt, but he pushed her in front of him. She looked over her shoulder in concern.

"You can't keep doing that," She accused him.

"What?" He asked as though he didn't know perfectly well what she was talking about.

"Kurt you can't keep trying to protect me in the field." She insisted.

"It's my job to keep you safe," Kurt argued.

"We're a team," Jane reminded him, "We keep each other safe."

"You don't know what it's like," Kurt told her seriously.

"You don't think I know what it's like to worry about you?" She stopped dead.

"You don't know what it's like to stand there, my blood on your hands sure you were going to lose me. You don't know how it feels to wait for me to wake up so that you can breathe again, only to be told that isn't going to happen. To wait weeks with a daily update that lasts less than a minute. You don't know what it's like to lay awake every night in our bed…alone, wondering what I could have done differently so that you would be beside me." He argued.

"Kurt…." Jane felt her heart ache.

"If you want me to stop trying to protect you, then you're going to have to stop joining us in the field." He told her bluntly, "I'm incapable of not at least attempting to keep you safe…and I'm not sorry."

For the first time since they'd begun chasing the tattoos Jane instigated PDA in the field. Her arms went around him and reaching up she pulled his head down to her and claimed his lips in a kiss meant to sooth. His arms came around her tightly. The other agents more than understood and walked around them without comment.

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The team spent the day at the warehouse gathering evidence. Tasha and Reed looked at each other.

"Why don't any of these building have and elevator?" Tasha demanded with a sigh.

"Probably because they've been abandoned," Reed reminded her.

"So," She asked following up the next flight, "Do you think the shooter had to do this to find just the right spot?"

"Probably not," Reed denied.

"So what you're saying," Tasha pressed home her point, "The shooter had an obvious advantage at certain locations and checking every floor of each of these locations…is a little much?"

"I definitely did not say that," Reed denied opening the door to the roof.

"I'm pretty sure you just did," Tasha denied.

"No," Reed insisted looking over his shoulder at her, "Do not put words in my mouth."

"So who do you think is going to win?" Tasha pressed him.

"Not us if you keep this up," He warned her.

"Come on," Tasha argued, "Jane has got to be one of the toughest, most capable people we've got. The last thing she needs is someone determined to protect her."

"He almost lost her…on their wedding day." Reed reminded her, "I think it's perfectly normal that he's a little gun shy."

"I get it," Tasha admitted, "But at some point he's going to relax…right?"

Remembering the Kurt during those long weeks without Jane, Reed doubted it.

"Sure," He said unconvincingly.

"It will drive her crazy," Tasha insisted.

"Clear," Reed said over the coms, once the roof had been searched.

"This is the last one…right?" Tasha verified.

"Last building," Reed confirmed.

"Weller owes me a foot massage," Tasha decided, her feet numb with fatigue.

"Good luck with that," He laughed outright.

"Uhhh, guys," Patterson's voice came over the coms.

"What do you have?" Weller responded.

"I have video feed from two blocks over," She warned them, "Looks like it was Roman."

Jane gasped and looked up at Kurt in dismay.

"Are you sure?" Kurt verified.

"Positive."

"Any idea where he went?"

"No…but he was carrying something the size of a sniper rifle."

"Forensics has the scene," Kurt told the team, "Let's head back."

"On our way," Tasha verified.

Kurt shared a look with Jane and she followed him back to the SUV with a worried frown.

The car was quiet, each lost in their own thoughts. The vehicle abruptly began to accelerate and Jane shot a look over at Kurt in surprise.

The look on his face spoke volumes.

"What's going on?" She asked as she braced her hand on the dash.

"I don't know," He admitted, "I'm not doing this."

"What do you mean?" Tasha demanded from the back seat.

"Someone has control of the car," Kurt warned them.

"That's not possible," Reed insisted.

"It is," Tasha denied, "I've heard about this technology."

"Hang on," Kurt insisted attempting to avoid obstacles.

"Can you turn off the car?" Jane demanded.

"Or slip it into neutral?" Reed said from the backseat.

Kurt couldn't turn off the ignition, but was able to find neutral. The car's engine continued to rev even as the sped began to slow.

"Would the person doing this need to be within sight distance?" Kurt demanded to Tasha.

"No," She denied, "They are using the vehicle's own systems to hack the car. They could be anywhere with cellular service."

"How can they see what they're doing?" Jane demanded.

"They don't have to see," Tasha argued, "They're trying to maim, not aim."

The car finally slowed down enough that Kurt was able to run it onto the median. Once the car was stationary once more he looked at Jane without comment, before looking over his shoulder to the back seat. "Everyone okay?"

"We're good," Reed assured him after meeting Tasha's eyes.

"We should probably get out of the car," Tasha insisted.

"Traffics pretty heavy," Jane worried.

"Whoever is doing this can access the Bluetooth signal and hack our phones or even the speakers on the car and listen to us."

"Everyone out," Kurt agreed, "Turn off your phones."

Within moments the team stood on the side of the road.

"Now what?" Reed demanded.

"Well," Kurt looked at the others, "We can't call Patterson and we can't get back in the car…looks like we're walking."

Tasha's groan said it all.


	6. Chapter 6

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters.

I wanted to thank everyone for their reviews. It's funny how just a few words of encouragement can inspire the story! I have a countdown to Blindspot app on my phone and as of today we still have 123 more days until the season 3 premier. I'm never going to last that long! Sob….deep breath. I'm okay. I honestly don't know exactly where this story will end up until we get there. Even I don't know what's coming next. These characters constantly surprise me. The show has built them so solidly it's almost like they are alive and making their own choices. I will keep writing and keep reading everyone's amazing fics, gifs and antics until the show finally comes back on. Thanks for giving me something to look forward to…without this fandom I would be lost! J You all almost make me feel like my obsession over this show is normal! Ha!

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"Nas," Kurt greeted her, "What are you doing here?"

Nas wanted to wince at his cold reception.

"I heard that Roman was back in the picture," She said.

"Maybe," Kurt conceded, "What does that have to do with you?"

"I supported the decision to turn him into an asset." Nas reminded Kurt, "If he's responsible for the recent deaths, I want to help bring him in."

"He was sighted near one of the shootings," Kurt confirmed, "We have no evidence directly involving him with the actual death."

"You're splitting hairs," Nas accused him.

"I'm stating a fact," Kurt denied.

"Kurt look," She said seriously, "I know you're angry about Jane…"

"You know I'm angry?" Kurt interrupted.

"But it was the right thing to do," Nas insisted more forcefully.

"You had no right to choose for me," Kurt denied with a cold look.

"I was trying to help you _and_ Jane," Nas reminded him.

Before he could say anything, the door to his office opened.

Both of them turned to see Jane, two cups of coffee, enter.

Kurt immediately moved to take one of the cups from her.

"Nas," Jane greeted, "I didn't know you were here or I would have brought you coffee."

"She's not staying," Kurt explained to Jane.

"Actually," Nas denied, "I'm here to warn you."

"About what?" Jane asked with a frown.

"The NSA has some Intel on who might be targeting you." Nas admitted.

"Me…or Kurt?" Jane asked with a worried frown.

"Is there any difference?" Nas couldn't help but jab.

"Just answer the question," Jane couldn't banter with Kurt's life.

"Sandstorm was a big organization," Nas reminded them, "They had cells in cities all over the world. When Sheppard's plan failed and the organization fell, it hurt them. They've been scrambling to regroup and a new leader has immerged."

"Do you have a name?" Kurt asked.

"It's another woman," Nas admitted, "Her name is Devon."

Kurt and Jane shared a look.

"You know her?" Nas asked.

"She was the girlfriend of Sheppard's right hand man, Parker." Kurt explained.

"Well apparently she's very bitter."

"Parker was killed in the raid on the FBI compound," Kurt remembered.

"Devon was pregnant," Jane reminded Kurt.

"Well," Nas denied, "She has no record of a child, so she must have lost it."

"We fought, she was stabbed in prison and Parker accidentally shot her instead of me," Jane remembered.

"Well that might do it," Nas said practically.

"So Sandstorm is regrouping." Kurt sighed.

"They are," Nas agreed, "But that's not your biggest problem."  
"What do you mean?" Jane couldn't imagine something worse.

"Devon placed a hit on you." Nas explained.

"On who?" Jane demanded.

"You," Nas confirmed, "The man at the wedding was the first."

"But he was aiming at Kurt." Jane protested.

"I guess Devon wants you to feel what she did," Nas suggested.

"The shooter is dead," Kurt reminded them.

"That shooter is dead," Nas agreed, "The bounty on your head still stands."

"The gunman at the warehouse," Jane reminded Kurt.

"So what," Kurt demanded, "People are just going to continue coming until someone is able to kill my wife?"

"Or the bounty is withdrawn," Nas agreed.

"How do we do that?" Kurt worried.

"We need to bring in Devon," Nas explained, "Once she's not free to secure the payment, the attempts will stop."

"Do you know where she's at?" Kurt demanded.

"Overseas," Nas admitted.

"That's beyond our jurisdiction." Jane warned Kurt.

Like an invisible line was going to stand between him and the woman attempting to have his wife killed.

"I've notified Keaton," Nas explained, "He's tracking her."

"I'll call him," Kurt turned toward the phone, "And get an update."

Jane watched him with a worried frown.

"You can't be surprised." Nas drew her attention back to her.

"What do you mean?"

"Jane," Nas said almost kindly, "You turned your back on the biggest terrorist organization in the world, brought down their revered leader, ruined plans they'd been making to years. If you had gone into the witness protection program…you could have led a relatively normal life. You chose to stay here, where everyone knows who you are, and marry Kurt. That placed a very large target on your back…and his."

Jane could feel her heart racing at the reality of what they were facing.

"So you're saying if Kurt and I don't turn out back on our life here, it's only a matter of time before someone successfully kills one of us." She said flatly.

"Kurt's not going to leave," Nas denied, "His daughter would never get to see him again. Allie would never agree to turn her back on her life. Kurt would have to walk away from them without looking back."

"He could never do that," Jane protested.

"He might…for you." Nas admitted.

"I would never ask him to," Jane denied.

"Then what's the solution?" Nas asked bluntly.

Jane's mind was racing. She'd unwittingly brought danger to the door of the man she loved, danger that would never go away as long as Devon was alive…as long as Sandstorm was a threat.

Kurt rejoined them, his face serious.

"What'd Keaton say?" Jane worried.

"He's looking for her," Kurt explained, "But he hasn't found her yet."

Nas and Jane shared a worried look.

"We need to warn the team," Jane realized.

"Reed was the one to kill Parker," Kurt agreed.

"I don't have any Intel to indicate he is in any way a target." Nas assured them.

"If she's focused on me," Jane insisted, "Let's not do anything to direct her attention elsewhere."

Kurt just looked down at Jane in resignation. She always tried to act as a shield to the team, to him, to the world. It was another one of her most endearing qualities that he hated the most.

"Let's go," Kurt agreed resigned.

Jane could read the look on his face easily. It was just another way that his life would be controlled by her presences in it. For a man that valued control, she was his worst nightmare.

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"She placed a hit on Jane," Tasha rubbed her chest absently. Parker was responsible for shooting her and she didn't regret that he was dead. Looking over at Jane she'd just wished that Devon had joined him. It really struck her hard that she'd help Devon break out of prison in the first place. The deal they'd made with Parker had been her idea. She'd been the one to discover Devon was pregnant…she'd been the one insisting that the end justified the means. This was all her fault.

"So we've already had three attempts on Jane's life," Reed realized.

"How much was the bounty?" Patterson worried.

"Two million dollars," Nas admitted.

"That's a lot of money for a single hit," Patterson was a little taken back.

"Jane's skills are well known and she's an FBI Agent married to the Assistant Director," Nas explained, "Hell, she had a hand in bringing down the Acadia, professionals are going to demand more for this high profile hit."

"So who's killing them?" Reed demanded, "Someone trying to ensure they get the bounty?"

"We think it might be Roman," Nas denied.

"Why would he do that?" Tasha asked bluntly.

"We don't know," Nas admitted, "Maybe he's trying to protect her, maybe he's trying to claim the bounty for himself."

"One thing is for certain," Kurt interrupted, "We need to find both Devon and Roman."

"I'm on it," Patterson agreed immediately.

"I'm also going to assign you a detail," Kurt looked over at Jane.

"You're taking me out of the field," She accused him.

"It's too dangerous right now for you and the team for you to be in the field." Kurt agreed.

Jane felt her options slipping away. If she couldn't be in the field and at least help fix things, then she was simply a liability everyone was risking their lives to protect. It one of them died…

"Nas," Kurt turned back to her, "We'll accept any assistance you can give us, but don't make our decisions for us."

"You have my word," She agreed in satisfaction. She might be able to pull his off yet.

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Jane sat with Tasha and Patterson nursing her drink.

"It's going to be okay," Patterson insisted.

"How?" Jane looked up at her, "I'm jeopardizing everyone's safety."

"You didn't put a hit out on yourself," Tasha argued.

"Kurt was almost killed because of me," Jane reminded them.

"We'll fix this," Tasha insisted.

"Kurt won't even let me out in the field," Jane reminded her, "How can I possibly help anyone?"

"He doesn't want to lose you," Patterson reminded her.

"How could I have ever convinced myself this would work?" Jane said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Tasha demanded with a frown.

"As long as I stay in Kurt's life," Jane looked up at them unhappily, "I'm putting him and everyone he cares about at risk."

"He cares about you," Patterson reminded her.

"I know he does," Jane agreed painfully, "I love him too…"

"Then there's nothing more to say," Tasha interrupted.

"I need to go after Devon," Jane looked at them seriously.

"You don't even know where she's at," Patterson argued.

"I can find her," Jane insisted.

"Kurt will not agree to this," Tasha denied.

"I'm not going to ask him," Jane looked away.

"NO!" Patterson denied immediately.

"You can't just leave," Tasha sat forward and spoke earnestly.

"What am I supposed to do?" Jane argued, "Wait for one of you to die?"

"We're going to solve this together." Tasha denied.

Suddenly there was the sound of gunfire. Jane overturned the table and drew her gun. Tasha and Patterson hit the floor beside her, weapons drawn…ready.

Jane's detail returned fire, two of them going down. Civilians screamed and ran for cover.

Jane shared a look with her friends…her family.

Suddenly she sprang into motion. Tasha and Patterson provided her cover fire while she closed the distance between her and their assailant.

He was able to get of a shot that creased her arm, but she didn't stop. Returning fire she dropped him, but kept moving forward. His accomplice seeing him fall turned to run. He didn't make it. Jane tackled him wrestling him for the gun.

Suddenly Kurt was there. Jane was torn off the subject and thrust at Reed as Kurt hauled the man to his feet. A few seconds later the unconscious man fell to the floor as Kurt turned toward Jane desperately.

"Are you hit?" He demanded running his hands over her searching for injuries.

Jane's hand immediately came up to cover the hole in her sleeve.

Kurt's eyes flew to the injury.

"I'm fine," Jane insisted.

"You're hit," Kurt accused, ripping her sleeve.

"Jackson and Kent are down," Jane told Reed.

Reed immediately turned to assist Zapata and Patterson render aid.

"Let me see," Kurt insisted when she still hadn't removed her hand.

"It's just a graze," Jane assured him, reluctantly removing her hand.

The blood on her arm seemed to transfix him.

"Kurt," Jane drew his attention away from the wound, "I'm fine."

Nas watched the scene from the roof across the street. She regretted what she was about to do, but she knew she had no choice. Raising the sniper rifle to her shoulder she sighted her target. The first bullet she dispatched hit Weller in his shoulder. The second ended any chance that the unconscious man she hired to attack Jane might talk.

Jane was looking into Kurt's eyes when he was shot. The shot entered the back of his arm and was through and through. His blood splattered her face and for a moment she was the one that was frozen.

One heartbeat later she'd tackled him to the ground. He might be wounded, but the adrenalin kick ensured that once they hit the ground he rolled her underneath him and drew his weapon, still shielding her from view.

"Kurt," Jane was desperate, but he was determined. Even as she struggled he kept her pinned beneath him.

"You're hit!" She cried.

"Stay down," He argued.

Five long minutes later, he rolled off her and sat up.

She immediately reached for his arm.

"You're losing a lot of blood," She said woodenly. Pale and shaking she pulled off her shirt and held it to his arm.

"It didn't hit anything vital," Kurt assured her.

 _You don't know what it's like to have my blood covering your hands and not know if it's going to be okay._

Kurt's words came back to haunt her as she looked down at his injury. Her hands shook as she watched his blood run down his arm and begin to pool on the floor.

"Is he serious?" Patterson demanded falling to her knees beside them.

Jane didn't answer.

"Jane?" Patterson looked at her sharply.

"I'm fine," Kurt assured them both, "It's not serious."

Within moments Zapata joined them.

"It was a sniper." She confirmed, "Building across the street."

"We get him?" Kurt demanded.

"No," Zapata denied.

Jane closed her eyes tightly.

Kurt reached up and touched her face, "Jane, it's going to be okay."

His reassurance fell on deaf ears. Nothing would ever be okay again.


	7. Chapter 7

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters.

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Jane sat in the silence of the apartment. Kurt was sleeping. He'd been kept overnight at the hospital for observation. He'd been released earlier today and she was so relieved. It could have been so much worse. Jackson and Kent were also expected to make a full recovery. She knew that she should be elated, but she was…heartbroken.

Looking down at the rings on her hand she closed her eyes and clenched her fist.

"What are you doing out here?" Kurt asked her coming over and leaning down to claim her mouth. She returned the kiss with a desperation that made him draw back and look down at her in concern.

"You okay?" He worried.

"No," Jane admitted.

Reaching for her hand he drew her up from the table and led her over to the couch. Sinking down he pulled her down next to him. He drew her legs over him and wrapped an arm around her back.

"Tell me," He encouraged.

"This is never going to end," She worried.

"We just need to get Devon into custody," Kurt corrected, "That's when it will end."

"Sandstorm is rebuilding," Jane argued, "If it isn't Devon, it will be someone else."

"Maybe," Kurt agreed, "But Devon made this personal. Sandstorms not necessarily after you…Devon is."

"I want to go after Devon," Jane finally admitted.

"I do too," Kurt agreed, "Once Patterson can pin point a location we'll move."

"What happens until then?" Jane worried.

"We keep you alive." Kurt said simply.

"I should…go." Jane finally broached the subject that weighed on her heavily.

"Go where?" Kurt pulled back to look down at her sharply.

"Away," Jane couldn't look at him.

"From me?" Kurt clarified.

"From all of you," Jane admitted. "Someone is going to end up dead."

"NO!" Kurt denied shaking her gently.

"You know I'm right." Jane insisted.

"Logically I can see why you might think so," Kurt admitted, "What we have…isn't about logic."

"It's also not just about us," Jane reminded him gently. "Jackson and Kent's families would probably agree with me."

"Jackson and Kent know what they signed up for," Kurt insisted with a flex in his jaw.

"What about your daughter?" Jane asked gently.

"She's in Colorado," Kurt argued, "She's fine."

"We have no idea how long it might take to find Devon." Jane reminded him, "Are you going to just stop seeing her for months at a time?"

Kurt had no easy answers. She was asking him questions he hadn't considered yet. Even seeing the problems that they faced he wasn't willing to consider her alternative.

"We will figure this out," Kurt insisted, "I don't know how just yet, but I am not willing to lose you."

"You could never lose me," Jane denied, "Whether I'm here with you or hundreds of miles away, you will always be the best part of me."

"Do not leave me," Kurt looked into her eyes while he made his demand.

"If you ever change your mind…" Jane started.

"I won't," Kurt interrupted her.

"We'll do this together," Jane finally agreed.

Kurt sealed her words with a kiss. Rising he pulled her up with him.

"Where are we going?" She asked startled.

"Back to bed," He said over his shoulder.

"You tired?" She teased.

"I will be…" Kurt assured her, "And so will you."

Later as she fell into an exhausted sleep still held tightly in his arms she couldn't resist the kiss she placed on his injured shoulder. His arms tightened briefly and they fell asleep locked together, both determined to hold on to what they'd found.

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"She's not leaving," The man told Nas with a worried frown.

"I was sure she would run," Nas admitted with a scowl.

"Well," He reminded her, "They are married. They must have built up a solid foundation or their marriage would have already crumbled."

"We aren't here to admire their relationship," Nas argued, "We're here to figure out how to handle things now."

The man reluctantly pointed out, "If you thought she was going to run, others probably do as well."

"So we what…make them think she's run?" Nas said thoughtfully.

"It could work," He agreed.

"Okay," Nas agreed, "Now how do we get her?"

"Magic?" The man offered.

"Very funny," Nas looked at him in exasperation, "The only time she doesn't have a detail is when she's with Kurt."

"So you want to take her when she _with_ Weller?" The man asked in incomprehension.

"It's the only way," Nas insisted.

"How?"

"We're going to have to drug them," Nas decided.

"You know that Weller is going to check the security cameras in the building once he realizes she's gone," The man insisted.

"We'll have to ensure they are out of commission." Nas agreed.

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Jane gathered the trash from their Chinese takeout.

Kurt had brought it home with him. He'd been really attentive since their talk. She didn't know if she called her so much and kept her with him for the most part because he wanted to be with her or because he was afraid she would leave.

She hoped it was the former and not the later. Today they'd had to go their separate ways because he'd had a meeting with Director Hirst and some other high ranking officials.

He was in the shower and Jane was feeling odd. She moving into the living room and sat down on the couch. She hoped she wasn't getting sick, she wasn't a good patient. Resting her head back against the cushion she closed her eyes to keep the room from spinning around her. Suddenly she was afraid. This wasn't normal. She stood up and stumbled, moving toward the bathroom where she knew Kurt would be.

She didn't make it. Falling to the floor she lost conscious still not understanding what was going on.

Kurt wasn't feeling normal either. Standing under the spray of the shower he turned the water to cold and let it pore over him.

Leaving the shower running he opened the door, grabbed a towel as he left the vestibule. He didn't bother to dry himself, but headed back toward the living room.

He found Jane on the floor and dropped down beside her. He turned her over to verify she was still breathing. He only had time to confirm that she was before the room began to spin around him. He crawled over to the coffee table reached for her cell phone. With trembling hands he dialed Patterson. He heard her answer, but was unable to respond. Falling face down to the floor darkness claimed him.

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"Well this isn't good," The man told Nas looking down at the couple on the floor before him.

"Dammit," She cursed.

"I guess you didn't take into account that he was bigger and it would take the drugs longer to affect him." He noted.

Walking into the bathroom she turned off the cold water. That had kept him coherent longer as well.

"He might not remember what happened when he wakes up," Nas suggested.

"So you still want to set this up like she decided to leave?" The man confirmed.

"Yes," Nas agreed.

Reaching down the man took the phone from Kurt's hand.

"Well," He warned her, "We better hurry, looks like he made a call."

Reaching down Nas pulled the rings off Jane's hand. She told the man, "Help me get him to the couch."

"No," He told her, "Jane wouldn't have been able to lift Weller up."

"Fine," Nas conceded the point, "I'll just cover him here." She turned Kurt over, placed a sofa cushion under his head and covered him. She then took Jane's rings and placed them in his hand before closing it around them.

"We need to take some of her things if we're going to convince him she left on her own." She took only moments to grab a change of clothes and some toiletries. At the last minute she took the picture of Kurt and Jane from the nightstand. Looking down at their smiling faces she felt a twinge of remorse. She took comfort in the knowledge that this was only temporary. Jane would be back soon enough and Kurt would be investigating and stopping criminals that Omaha had uncovered.

"We need to go," The man warned Nas from the other room, "Patterson has called Jane's phone three times."  
"Get her in the suitcase," Nas insisted coming back in the room.

The man didn't hesitate. As they left the building, Nas reached up and verified that her wig was in place. She'd ensured that the buildings security cameras wouldn't reveal anything, but there were plenty of camera's on the way out of here to worry about.

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Zapata and Reed stood at the door of Kurt and Jane's apartment.

"Do we knock?" Reed asked Zapata.

"Are you kidding?" Zapata looked over at him in disbelief.

"What if she just butt dialed her?" Reed worried.

"Then why wouldn't she answer when Patterson called her back?" Zapata argued.

When Reed just looked at her she caught on. "Well, they'll just have to get over it."

"But will I get over seeing it?" Reed insisted.

"On three," Zapata warned him.

Resigned Reed waited for the count. On three he burst the door in.

Zapata was the first inside. They found Kurt on the living room floor, but other than shooting him a concerned look they cleared the apartment before coming back over to him.

"Where's Jane?" Reed worried.

"I don't know," Tasha denied, leaning over Kurt and checking him.

"We need an ambulance." Zapata insisted.

Just then the apartment door burst opened and hit the wall. Reed and Zapata both turned toward the door in alarm guns rising. Patterson stood there gun in hand.

"What'd you find?" She demanded when they drew up their weapons.

"Jane's gone," Reed explained, "And Kurt's unconscious. We need an ambulance."

"On it," Patterson reached for her phone.

After she called for assistance, Patterson moved over to Kurt's side and reached for his hand to check his vitals. Jane's rings fell from his grasp and pinged on the floor.

Zapata and Patterson shared a look.

"What?" Reed demanded.

"Jane told us she wanted to leave and hunt down Devon," Zapata explained.

"You think she did this?" Reed asked incredulously.

"We don't know," Patterson insisted, "Until we do, she's been taken."

"Agreed," Zapata confirmed.

The paramedics arrived, but Kurt had already begun to stir.

"Wh…What?" Kurt jerked awake.

"Stay down," Patterson urged him, with a hand on his shoulder.

Kurt looked up at his team in confusion.

The paramedic leaned down to look into his eyes and Kurt's head turned sharply away.

"Where's Jane?" He demanded.

"We don't know," Zapata was the one that answered him, "She was gone when we got here."

Kurt began to recall the events immediately before he passed out.

"She was here," He insisted, "On the floor."

"Well by the time we arrived," Reed explained, "She was gone."

"She left you these," Patterson held up the rings for him to see.

"She didn't leave," Kurt grabbed the rings from Patterson's hand, "Somebody took her."

"Kurt…" She looked at him in concern.

"I know what happened Patterson," Kurt argued, "She didn't leave on her own."

"I'll go access the footage in the building," Patterson offered contrite.

"I'll come with you," Kurt stated to rise.

"No," Patterson warned him, "We need to know what drug was used…you have to go with them."

"Can you take a blood sample here?" Kurt demanded to the paramedic.

"We can," The man agreed, intimidated.

"Then get on with it," Kurt insisted, "I brought home Chinese takeout."

"I'm on it," Tasha moved into the kitchen to gather the empty boxes.

"I'll head over to the restaurant see what I can find out." Reed told the others.

Kurt grabbed the blanket that had been placed over him and stalked to the bedroom. It only took him a few moments to throw on some clothes. Walking over to the nightstand he leaned down to place Jane's rings on the surface, when he noticed that the picture was missing. Standing stalk still he looked over his shoulder to the bathroom. Moving into the doorway he noticed that Jane's toiletries were gone.

Someone was attempting to make him think that she'd left on her own, but he knew better. What was going on? What if she was…he couldn't even finish the thought.

"Are you ready?" Patterson called from the hallway.

Closing his eyes Kurt realized that the he wasn't. Taking a deep breath he pushed on anyway. He needed to find her…

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Nas sat next to her partner in crime and briefly wondered how she'd come to this.

"You're quiet," He noted.

"What are we doing?" Nas looked over at him in remorse.

"You're busy destroying your career," The man admitted, "I'm here to watch you go down in flames."

"You've been egging me on," Nas accused him, "If I go down you're going with me."

The man pulled the car over next to the dock. "I don't think so," He denied pulling his weapon.

"What are you doing?" Nas asked in incomprehension.

"Two things," The man explained, "One…there is a two million dollar bounty for the woman currently locked in our trunk, two…once you're gone, I'm your successor."

Nas reached for her weapon, but she was too late. The sound of the shot was loud in the enclosed space and she looked down at her chest in shock.

"Guess you don't have to worry about what Weller is going to do any more," The man noted watching her slump to the side.  
Roman pulled over and watched the car in front of him. He'd followed them from Weller's apartment. He was afraid he knew what was in the bag. When he saw the flash of the gun, he opened his door and moved to intercept the occupants.

Jane awoke in the dark. She was in a tightly enclosed space and for a moment she thought she'd been buried. Just as she was stating to panic, she felt the motion of the car. Taking a relieved breath she began to struggle to get out.

Once the suitcase was unzipped, she realized that she was in the trunk. He head was still swimming, but she knew she didn't have much time. Once the car stopped she began searching desperately for some type of weapon. She felt relief when her hand closed over the tire iron. It might be slim…but she now had a chance.

The sound of a shot had her freezing in confusion. _Had they just shot Kurt_?

Suddenly there was the sound of a struggle. Jane winced as something slammed against the side of the car violently. The sound of another gun had everything falling silent. Then the trunk was opened and she sprung out, weapon swinging. Roman dodged her swing and knocked the tire iron from her hand. They struggled briefly. On the ground Jane looked into the dead face of the man next to her. His gun was still in his hand and she reached for it.

"Wait," Roman warned her, but her flight or fight instincts were heightened. Grabbing the weapon she went to bring it up when everything went dark once more.

Roman watched his sister slump to the ground and took a steadying breath. He hated to knock her out, but she'd been going to shoot him.

Leaning over he checked her satisfied that she was just unconscious. Picking up the weapon he hesitated. Now what? Walking over to the passenger side of the car he leaned in to check the other occupant. Reaching inside he verified that the second person was dead. It was only when he dislodged the wig that Roman realized just who that person was. Pulling the wig off he looked down at Nas with a troubled expression. This wasn't good.

Jane became aware of her surrounding quickly. Opening her eyes she saw Roman leaning over a person in the car. When he pulled off her wig, Jane gasped as she realized it was Nas.

Roman looked over at her, "She's dead,"

Jane felt her heart sink.

"You killed her?" She demanded sitting up.

"No," Roman denied, but Jane didn't believe him.

"What's going on?" She demanded.

"You might not have noticed yet," Roman said sarcastically, "But someone is trying very hard to kill you."

"Devon placed a hit on me," Jane agreed.

"Devon?" Roman asked in disbelief.

"She's the new head of Sandstorm."

"No way," Roman denied immediately.

"Where's Kurt?" Jane demanded.

"They didn't take him," Roman denied, "So he's safely at home for all I know."

"He's not safe," Jane argued worried.

"With you here," Roman insisted, "He's safe enough."

"I told him I wouldn't leave," Jane insisted.

Roman laughed at her. "One of the things that I loved most about Remi was that she would do whatever it took to complete the mission and ensure that those around her were safe. What happened to you?"

"I've learned to depend on others," Jane argued.

"You're selfish," Roman denied, "Willing to risk everyone else to keep Kurt."

"That's not true," Jane denied.

"Nas is dead," Roman pointed out.

Jane looked at the face of her friend and felt tears well up.

"What am I supposed to do?" Jane demanded.

"You know this life's not for you," Roman insisted.

Remembering her dream, Jane was afraid he was right.

"You will always have a target on your back," Roman insisted, "You're building a life for Jane as though Remi doesn't exist, but you are the only one that can't remember her. You've made enemies you can't even identify in a line up. It's just a matter of time before someone else dies. Kurt isn't safe, the team isn't safe, Kurt's daughter isn't safe…who else has to die before you realize it's not all about you?"

"If we get Devon," Jane argued.

"You know better," Roman insisted.

"So I should just…what? Leave?" She yelled.

"I guess the real question becomes who do you care more about…them or you?"

Looking over at Nas, Jane felt her tears fall.

"I'm not leaving him," Jane insisted.

"I was afraid you'd say that," Roman admitted before moving in with his lightning speed and knocking her back unconscious.

"I guess I'll just have to make the decision for you." He picked her up and walked away.


	8. Chapter 8

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters.

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Kurt looked down at Nas' body without expression.

"How long has she been dead?" He asked the medical examiner.

"Just a few hours," He was advised.

Turning away from the shrouded figure he headed back to the NYO. Lifting his phone up, he dialed Patterson, "It's her."

"Oh, God," Patterson gasped.

"Were you able to secure the vehicle?" Kurt demanded.

"Yes," She confirmed, "They're processing it now. We need to hurry though, other agencies are moving in."

"I'm on my way back," Kurt assured her, "Don't let that car out of your sight."

"We won't," She assured him.

Kurt hung up the phone and rubbed his neck wearily. He'd been up all night long trying to find a lead on Jane. The cameras in their building had been disabled. No witnesses came forward with any unusual occurrences. They'd fanned out the search radius and Patterson had detected a car leaving the building around the time Jane disappeared. She'd tracked it to the docks where it had been located with Nas and an unknown male. They'd both been deceased. He'd taken the time to come down because he needed to verify, with his own eyes, that Nas was dead.

He didn't understand what was happening. He knew Jane's word was good and she'd said she wouldn't leave him, but if Nas had been with her…none of it made any sense.

When he arrived back at the office, Reed, Patterson and Zapata met him off the elevators.

"What'd you find?" He immediately demanded leading them back toward his office.

"It looks like…" Patterson hesitated.

Kurt tensed and demanded, "What?"

"They must have snuck her out of the building in a suitcase," She admitted.

Kurt immediately remembered Nas suggestion in Bulgaria. It was too big a coincidence.

"What else?" Kurt demanded.

"We found hair in the suitcase that was consistent with Jane's." Patterson began to talk faster to get it all out there.

"She seemed to have woken up during transport," Tasha took over the explanation, shooting Patterson a concerned glance.

"There was a tire iron on the ground. We dusted it for prints and they matched Jane's." Reed explained.

"We also found a bag in the trunk with a change of clothes and Jane's toiletries. There was also this picture of the two of you," Patterson lifted her hand and passed it over to Weller.

Kurt looked down at Jane's smiling face and felt his hand tremble.

"Was there any of Jane's blood?" He demanded tense.

"There was a lot of blood at the scene," Patterson admitted, "We're testing it now, but it's going to take a little while to get this all figured out."

Kurt carefully placed the picture of Jane and him on his desk before looking up at his team.

"So all we know is that a woman that we trusted…took my wife from our home in a suitcase and then was killed by an unknown assailant?" He demanded.

"Yes," Patterson agreed, "But we also know that Jane was alive when she came out of that trunk."

"We just don't know that she still is," Kurt worried.

"No," Patterson reluctantly agreed.

"There was another car following them," Tasha reminded Patterson.

"What?" Kurt's head swiveled back to Patterson.

"When they took Jane," Patterson explained, "They were followed."

"Did we get anything from those plates?" Kurt demanded.

"No," Patterson denied, "But the car was not at the scene, so it stands to reason that the person driving that car knows what happened to Jane."

"You have an APB out for that car?" Kurt confirmed.

"Yes," Tasha verified.

"We need to know if the bounty on Jane's head is paid," Kurt forced the words out even as he wanted to call them back.

"I'll check into it," Patterson said with a catch in her voice.

Kurt turned from the worried looks of his team, afraid in a way that was becoming familiar.

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"How long are you going to keep me here?" Jane demanded to Roman.

"Just until Weller moves on and you have nothing to go back to," He admitted.

The weeks had turned into months and Jane had tried everything she knew to do to escape to no avail.

"What if he doesn't move on?" Jane demanded.

"He already is," Roman told her, opening the hatch he installed to pass her food. Securing the lock he released the one on her side.

Jane reached for the envelope with trembling hands.

She opened it and pulled out pictures of Kurt. He wasn't alone. Allie and their daughter were together. He looked…happy.

"When was this taken?" She asked without looking up.

"This morning," He told her.

"He's always happy to see his daughter." Jane justified.

"Allie's decided to move back to New York," Roman told her.

"That's great!" Jane looked up in relief. That would make Kurt's life so much easier. "When are she and Connor coming back?"

"Connor's not coming back," Roman denied, "Just Allie."

"That doesn't mean that Kurt will go back with her." Jane denied with a knot in her stomach.

"She stayed at his place last night." Roman dropped that bomb.

"What?" Jane looked up in disbelief.

"She stayed."

"But…we don't have a spare room," Jane protested.

"Guess she didn't need one." Roman looked at her sadly.

Jane looked down at the pictures with new eyes. He was moving on. He probably thought she was dead… turning away from Roman she fought back tears.

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Kurt dropped Allie off at the airport.

She'd shown up unexpectedly yesterday evening. He wasn't too proud to admit that he'd been more than a little drunk when she'd arrived.

She'd taken one look at him and realized that the spiral that she'd been warned about was true.

"What are you doing?" She pushed her way into his place.

"Allie," Kurt greeted her lifting the glass he was still holding and taking another drink.

Taking the glass from his hand she pushed his unresisting body down on the couch.

"You need to stop this," She warned him.

"Why?" Kurt laid his head back on the back of the sofa.

"You're never going to find Jane like this," She insisted seriously.

"She's gone," Kurt didn't open his eyes, "There hasn't been a sighting or a clue about her whereabouts in months."

"So you think she' what…dead?" Allie asked bluntly.

Kurt's eyes flew open at her question.

"Don't say that," He growled.

"Why?" She demanded, "Isn't that what you're thinking?"

"No!" Kurt denied, he wouldn't allow himself to think that.

"So how is this going to help you find her?" Allie demanded holding up the glass.

"I don't know what else to do," Kurt finally admitted rubbing a hand down his face.

"So you're just giving up?" Allie asked bluntly.

"I will _never_ stop looking," Kurt denied harshly.

"So what, you spend your day looking for Jane and your nights trying to forget her?" Allie accused him.

"I don't want to forget," Kurt denied immediately, "I sit here every night and remember everything. The day she told me she loved me, the day she moved in, her determination to learn to cook, our time alone…hell I can't even shower…"

Allie looked down at him sadly.

"Maybe you should consider moving." She told him.

"No!" He denied. It might torment him remembering his moments with Jane, but he wasn't willing to turn his back on their life together…even if it hurt him.

"What can I do?" Allie finally sank down on the couch next to him.

"Help me find her," Kurt admitted.

"Maybe you shouldn't be looking for her…" Allie suggested, "Maybe you should be looking for Roman."

"We haven't seen him in months," Kurt admitted.

"You haven't seen him since Jane disappeared." Allie pointed out.

"So you think she went with him?" Kurt couldn't keep the pain form his voice.

"I didn't say willingly," Allie insisted.

"Why would he take her?" Kurt demanded.

"I don't know him," Allie denied, "Why do you think he might have taken her?"

"He might be protecting her," Kurt told Allie about the hit out on Jane.

"Were they close?"

 _She's the only family I have left…I don't know what I would do without her._

"I thought so," Kurt admitted.

"So he wouldn't be likely to hurt her," Allie suggested.

Remembering his two attempts to kill Jane Kurt remained silent.

"Kurt?" Allie drew his attention.

"I have no idea how to find him."

"I brought Sierra with me," She told him.

"Where is she?" Kurt looked up in surprise.

"I left her with Patterson," Allie admitted.

"Why are you here?" Kurt asked belatedly.

"We're moving back," Allie explained with a smile.

"That's great," Kurt smiled his first real smile in months.

"Connor's staying," She whispered.

"Allie…" Kurt looked over at her in concern.

"I'm okay," She insisted.

Placing his arm around her in sympathy Kurt squeezed her shoulder.

"We're a mess," Kurt couldn't help but notice.

"We're going to be fine," Allie insisted.

Kurt knew she was trying to be supportive, but without Jane in his life he would never be fine.

"Where are you staying?" He asked.

"Tonight I'm staying here," Allie told him, "Patterson and Tasha are watching Sierra so that I can kick your ass back into line."

"I'm fine," Kurt denied, reluctant to even allow the mother of his child into he and Jane's private space.

"You aren't my boss," Allie denied, "I'm staying. We're going to make you some coffee, you're going to shower and we are going to try to find a lead."

Kurt knew that fresh eyes might find something he'd missed so as reluctant as he was he left her to make coffee while he headed toward the bathroom.

That night neither of the slept, but by morning Allie had discovered Roman's movements took him by the same ATM three times in two weeks.

"It's not much," She worried as they ate breakfast, Sierra sitting on Kurt's lap.

He smiled at her in enthusiasm, "It's a start."

He now had a purpose and new hope.

Allie smiled at his expression. She'd always known Jane and Kurt had something, but it was only seeing him without her that she realized just how special it actually was. She'd been right to leave him, he'd never looked this happy at the thought of being with her. Shaking her head at her thoughts she finished eating and Kurt drove her to the airport. Boarding the flight she hoped this lead panned out. She'd never seen anyone need another person as much as Kurt so clearly needed Jane.

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Jane stopped eating and even when he spoke to her, she didn't respond. It was as if she retreated inside herself.

Roman watched her through the glass in concern. He'd figured she was just being stubborn, but the longer this went on the more he became aware that Remi was gone and the Jane he knew might be alive, but without Kurt she wasn't okay.

He need to do something before he unwittingly ended up claiming the bounty himself.

Jane looked up in shock when the door to her cell opened.

"What…" She looked at Roman in surprised.

"We're leaving," He told her.

"Where?" Jane asked with a trembling lip.

"Someplace to help you remember with or without Kurt you're still going to be okay." He told her.

"No place like that exists," Jane told him flatly.

"We'll see," Roman insisted.

Jane considered trying to overpower Roman, but then she realized there wasn't really any point any more.

They left together, Roman determined, Jane subdued. The team raided the house twenty-four hours later.

"We're clear," Reed told Kurt over the coms.

Kurt walked through the rooms his eyes touching everything. When he came to a room that closely resembled the cell where Roman had spent so many days he felt his shoulders tighten. The door was open, but he could see the pass though and read the signs well enough. She'd been here, he felt it. Walking over to the bed he sank down before picking up the pillow and bringing it to his face. Her sent assailed him and he shuddered in relief. She was alive. He would never have admitted it to anyone, but he'd begun to fear that she was lost to him forever.

"Kurt," Tasha stood in the doorway looking at him in concern.

"She was here," He told her.

"I know," Tasha agreed moving closer, "We found this."

Looking down at the manila envelope she held he reached for it in confusion. When he opened it up and pulled out the pictures he felt his heart drop. They were of him and Allie eating breakfast before she flew back to Colorado. He looked happy because they'd found the lead on Roman and he was holding his daughter. He knew what she must think. Maybe she hadn't seen them…

Looking back up at Tasha in dismay he saw that she was holding something else. He almost didn't want to take it when he saw the look on her face.

Reaching out he took it. It was her journal. Page after page was filled with his face. She'd drawn him over and over. Smiling, laughing, sleeping, eating…He felt his eyes well up at the evidence of her love. Then he got to the last few pages and any hope that she hadn't seen the pictures evaporated. Each of the last few pages depicted not only him, but he and Allie with Sierra. She'd drawn them as a family. Laughing, playing, picnics…It was the very last picture that arrested his attention. He had an older Sierra on his shoulders, Allie and he were holding hands and in the background there was a lone tombstone. Shadowed without grass the name Jane Doe scrawled across the front. She hadn't even given herself the name Weller in death.

This must have been what convinced Roman that he could release her from her cell. She'd given up. Looking up at Tasha he could see the compassion in her eyes.

"Do we know where they've gone?" He asked.

"No," She denied, "But there's milk in the refrigerator that isn't expired yet. They haven't been gone long."

Kurt held onto the journal and leaned over to pick up the pillow. With both clutched to his chest he moved out of Jane's cell.

"Kurt," Tasha worried, "Are you okay?"

"She's alive," Kurt looked down into Tasha's eyes, "Once we find her we can fix everything else."

Placing her hand on his arm she squeezed it in reassurance.

"I want this place torn apart," Kurt told her. "Every receipt, fingerprints, check the area for cameras…we cannot let this go cold."

"We won't let you down," Tasha assured him seriously.

Looking down at her his vulnerability apparent Kurt nodded without a word.

Watching him walk away, Tasha turned toward the techs with a determined look. She was about to be the most annoying pain in their ass, but she'd do whatever she had to ensure that got Jane back ASAP.


	9. Chapter 9

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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Jane spent over a week on a barge. They'd arrived in Europe and ended up on the side of a mountain. The Monks that welcomed them were trying to help Jane face life without Kurt. When they introduced the mountain to her, she embraced it with everything in her. She needed the daily exertion to keep her mind occupied. It wasn't working.

Roman had watched her closely once they arrived, but he seemed to relax the second week. He thought she'd accepted losing Kurt. She was incapable of doing that. He might have moved on, but she couldn't let him live his life without knowing what happened to her. After Taylor she could never put him through that. At least that's what she told herself. That she hoped being alive would matter was a secret she kept even from herself.

Her opportunity came ironically half way up the mountain the end of the third week. She came across some American's climbing. They possessed a satellite phone. When she asked to use it, they didn't hesitate. It helped that she'd saved one of them from a nasty fall. Holding the phone to her chest she hesitated only a moment before dialing his number. She thought it was going to go to voicemail and could already feel the disappointment.

"Weller," Kurt finally answered.

Jane closed her eyes at the sound of his voice.

"Hello?" He demanded impatiently.

"Kurt…" Jane all but whispered, but it was enough.

"Jane," Kurt dropped down into his chair, his legs suddenly unable to support him. It had been three long months since the night she'd been taken and every minute since felt like an eternity.

"I'm not dead," She assured him of the most important thing.

"Where are you?" He demanded immediately.

"I'm not really sure," Jane admitted. "Roman…"

"Jane," Kurt worried when she trailed off.

"I'm not coming back…" Jane admitted with a little sob.

"You said you wouldn't leave me," Kurt reminded her.

"I di…didn't," Jane protested trying to get herself back under control.

"I know you didn't," Kurt assured her.

"Roman told me about Allie," Jane forced herself to admit, "You must be really happy."

"Happy?" Kurt couldn't believe what he was hearing. "My wife has been missing and presumed dead for over three months and you think I'm happy?"

"I know you thought I was dead," Jane assured him, "I don't blame you for still caring about Allie."

"Jane," Kurt said forcefully, "I am _not_ with Allie."

"It's okay," She lied, "I want you to be happy." That was the truth.

"Then you need to figure out where you are so that I can come get you." Kurt insisted in frustration.

"Were you able to find Devon?" She worried.

"No," Kurt was forced to admit.

"Then I can't come back," She insisted.

"We're going to find her together," Kurt reminded her.

"Stop looking," Jane insisted, "For Devon…for me."

"I will never stop looking for you," Kurt denied, "It took me 25 years to find Taylor, you know I won't stop."

"Kurt you can stop," Jane said painfully, "I'm not a child and its okay for you to be happy."

Those words hit him deeply.

"I can't," Kurt said brokenly, "Not without you. Don't leave me, stay with me…Jane I love you."

Jane gasped.

"I love you too," Jane admitted tearfully.

"I'm coming for you," Kurt said with utter conviction.

"I don't know where I am," Jane reminded him.

"I know," A voice said from a few feet away.

Jane looked up at the woman climber she'd saved only thirty minutes ago.

With a trembling hand she passed the phone back over to her and watched as she explained to Kurt exactly where they were. When she passed the phone back to Jane she put it back to her ear and said "Kurt?"

"I'm coming," He told her.

"Don't come if you're not sure," Jane implored him.

"I've never been _more_ sure of anything in my life." Kurt insisted.

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"You know what they did," The new head of the NSA demanded.

"According to her files, she tattooed the clues on Jane Weller's body."

"I'm sure before she died she regretted that decision."

"I'm sure she did," The man confirmed, "That isn't in question, what do we do now?"

"We let it play out," The new NSA Director told him.

"Jane Weller's been missing for over three months," The other man reminded him.

"She contacted Weller this morning," The NSA Director explained.

"So do we put the box in play?" The man confirmed looking down at the box with Jane Doe's name on it.

"With everything that's happened," The NSA Director denied, "He won't give a second look at this box."

"What do you recommend?"

"We get his attention."

"How?"

"He found his wife," The Director noted, "Maybe he needs to lose someone else."

"Not his kid," The other man protested.

"No," The new Director agreed immediately, "We aren't savages."  
"Then what do you suggest?"

"We make him think his team is missing."

"Make him think?"

"We feed them some false information on Jane Weller, get them out of pocket for a little while."

"So he thinks they're gone," The man realized impressed.

"That will give the box the importance Ms. Kamal's sacrifice deserves."

"I'll see that it's done," The man agreed.

"Keep me informed."

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Kurt slammed his phone down in frustration. After speaking with Jane, he wanted nothing more than to be on the first plane out. He attempted to contact Patterson first, to no avail. After multiple attempts he'd tried Tasha. Again he got her voice mail. Reed was his last call and his last failed attempt.

Kurt gathered a team and started the search. He returned more frustrated than when he left. The box with Jane's name his only discovery.

"We need to get into that box," Kurt insisted to Patterson's team.

"We've scanned it and run it through the x-ray machine." Kurt was advised, "There are no locks, no explosives, no obvious way inside."

"Whoever left us this box," Kurt insisted, "Didn't do it to keep whatever is inside a secret."

"We think it might require a biometric scan."

Looking down at the box Kurt demanded, "So the only person that can open it is Jane?"

"That's what we think."

"You don't know what's inside the box?" Kurt looked at him expectantly.

"No." Stewart admitted.

"What if this is an attempt to harm her?" Kurt demanded.

"We don't think so," He protested.

"That's very reassuring," Kurt said with a tick in his cheek. He picked up the box and placed it in his backpack.

"Where are you taking it?" Stewart asked in surprise.

"I'm taking it to my wife," Kurt explained patiently.

"But…I thought she was…" He trailed off looking at the others in dismay.

"She's alive," Kurt assured him heading toward the door and he was going to do everything in his power to keep her that way.

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Reed looked over at Patterson and Zapata. "Why did we think this was a good idea?"

Walking beside him in the back of rural nowhere they didn't answer, just glared at him.

"We all want to find Jane," Reed went on, "But couldn't one of us stayed behind to at least alert the others if things went wrong?"

"Shut up," Tasha warned him.

"We drove for four hours…four hours…he repeated and now we're walking out. How long do you think that's going to take us?" He ignored her warning.

"Well," Tasha stopped and turned toward him, "You're not going to make it at all if you don't shut up."

"Stop," Patterson pleaded even while she continued to put one foot in front of the other.

"Did I mention that we lost cell coverage two hours off the paved road?" Reed reminded them.

"Reed," Tasha growled.

"Wait…" Patterson abruptly stopped.

"What is it?" Tasha looked around in alarm.

"I hear a truck," Patterson said with excitement.

Just then Reed looked back and saw a dust trail rising.

"There!" He said in relief.

The truck got closer and closer. When it finally pulled to a stop next to them they could only look at the occupants in disbelief.

"I've never seen anyone this far out," The man wearing the oldest pair of overalls Reed had ever seen told them.

His wife was sitting in the passenger side of the truck staring at them with her mouth agape.

"We had some car trouble," Patterson told them with a smile…"We could sure use a ride."

"We were just taking some of our goats to market…" The man explained, "But you're welcome to climb in the back with them."

Reed looked into the back of the truck to see four of worst smelling goats in the world.

"You've got to be kidding me…" He would almost rather walk.

"Thanks," Patterson shot Reed a warning glare before joining the man at the back of the truck.

He opened the gate to the goat's makeshift pen and ushered them inside.

"They're pretty friendly the man assured them, but they might chew on your clothes a little bit," He warned them.

Seeing the frayed edges of the man's overalls Reed just shook his head in resignation.

Tasha was laughing openly and Patterson was hiding her smile behind her hand as Reed sat down in the bed of the truck, one goat on his lap and one chewing on pocket of his jacket.

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Jane couldn't sleep. She half expected Kurt to show up at any time, but he hadn't. As the hours turned into days, she began to wonder if he'd had second thoughts. She'd told him not to come if he wasn't sure…

Just then the flap of her sleeping quarters opened and she was advised she had a visitor.

Putting down her journal she stood on legs that trembled…hoping.

When Kurt came through the opening, she felt her tears well up. She could no more prevent her feet from moving toward him than she could have prevented the world from turning. Within moments she was in his arms.

Kurt had walked for hours determined to get to Jane. When he'd come across the village and shown them Jane's picture they'd been more than happy to take him to her.

He pulled her tightly against him. Any space at all too much.

"I can't believe I've finally found you," He said holding her tightly.

Before he was ready, because he knew he would never be ready, he put her from him.

"I was scared," He told her softly looking away to prevent himself from breaking down. Trying with everything in him to gather some control.

She began to apologize as if there had been anything that she could have done differently.

"I can explain…" She told him, but there was no need, because he already knew what happened. He just still didn't understand why.

When she stopped so abruptly his eyes jerked back to her of their own violation. When he realized that she was looking at his ring he fiddled with it.

"You're still wearing your ring," She said in surprise.

"Yeah," He agreed as though anything could have made him take it off. He was a little angry that she believed that he could get ever get past what they were together. She was it for him…for the rest of his life. Losing her could never change that.

"You need to come back," He insisted, knowing that she would protest putting any of them in danger.

When she began to shake her head, he continued, "Patterson, Reed, Tasha they're missing. We think they've been taken."

"All of them?" She said shocked.

He nodded his affirmation.

"Did Roman…" Jane worried.

"We don't know," Kurt denied.

"Whoever did it left this box," Reaching down he pulled at the box with her name on it.

She looked down at it with dread.

"Someone clearly wants your attention," He told her, "Nobody's been able to open it yet, but I have a theory."

Reaching out she went to take the box and the second her hand touched the lid, a compartment popped open. Looking up at Kurt in surprise she reached for the item resting inside.

She looked at it with a frown, "What is it?"

Reaching to take it Kurt was surprised when an image appeared.

"It needs both of us to work," Jane said in surprise.

Looking at the mirror image of Jane's neck tattoo, Kurt brought it up and lined up the images. Suddenly Jane's body became luminescent. He looked down in shock as the tattoos he knew so well where overrun with glowing lines and symbols.

His eyes went from her body to her face to find her looking at him in absolute terror.

"What's happening?" She whispered.

He didn't know, but he pulled the "key" away from her neck and watched the tattoos slowly begin to fade.

"Kurt?" Jane was frozen.

He turned away and put down the box and the key and pulled her tightly against him.

"It's okay," He reassured her.

She tried to pull away, "Wait…what if it hurts you."

He reeled her back in. "We're in this together."

"Together," She agreed, looking up at him with a look he would never forget.  
He couldn't resist closing the distance between them. She met his kiss with a need that bordered on desperation.

He returned it with more than a little desperation of his own.

He could feel the tension and the fear leave him. He might not know what was going on, but with her back in his arms, he knew they'd be able to face whatever was coming. Pulling her more firmly against him, Kurt threaded his fingers through her now longer hair and breathed her in deeply. Everything he needed finally within reach…


	10. Chapter 10

I don't own Blindspot or any of these wonderful characters.

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Kurt was well on the way to loosing himself completely in Jane when there was a sound at the door.

He lifted his head, but his arms only tightened.

Jane began to speak to the woman that interrupted them and suddenly she stiffened.

"What is it?" Kurt worried looking down at her.

"Roman knows you're here," She warned him.

"Good," Kurt said with a hard look, "I've got some things to say to him."  
"You're not going to get the chance," Jane worried, "When he was told you arrived, he left."

"Where'd he go?" Kurt wanted nothing more than to get his hands on him.

"He didn't tell them," Jane said with worry in her voice.

"We're leaving too," Kurt reminded her.

"Kurt," Jane's arms tightened around him, "I don't know what he'll do."

"Do you think he'll try to stop us?" Kurt demanded.

"He might," She agreed, "He was determined to prove to me that the life we had wasn't possible."

"Yeah," Kurt agreed with a hard look, "I saw the lengths he was willing to go to prove that we couldn't be together."

"What?" Jane didn't understand.

"We raided the house he was holding you at, but you'd already left." Kurt said with remembered pain.

"Kurt," Jane placed her hand on his cheek at the pain he couldn't hide as he recounted what happened.

"I'm here now," She reminded him.

"We found your journal," He told her and it was Jane's turn to stiffen.

Her journal was so personal…Kurt knew everything about her, but she was embarrassed at just how needy she must have seemed.

"Jane," Kurt turned her face up to him, "I am not now, nor in any time since you were taken away, been with Allie in the way you think."

"Kurt…" Jane wanted to look away, but his eyes captured hers, "I know she stayed with you."

"Nothing happened," Kurt denied, "She helped me locate Roman, that's all."

"What?" Jane hadn't expected to hear that.

"She came over because she was moving back to New York and Patterson and Zapata told her I wasn't doing too well," He admitted, "She was pretty blunt and very determined. She was the one that said that we should concentrate on finding Roman. The next morning I was tired, but really happy because we'd found the first lead on you in months."

"I thought…" Jane was finally able to look away.

"I know what you thought," He shook her gently. "Do you know how I felt when I saw what you drew?"

Jane had no words.

"What's your name?" Kurt demanded.

Jane didn't understand what he wanted, "Jane," She whispered.

"Jane…what?" He pressed.

"Jane Weller," She finally understood what he was trying to prove.

"You share my name, you share my life, and you own my heart…not for right now, not for when it's easy or convenient…forever."

"Kurt," Jane was beginning to tremble.

"Did you stop loving me?" He finally demanded.

She looked up at him in shock, "NO!"

"Then why would you think I would stop loving you?"

"Kurt," Jane tried to explain, "You're amazing in every way. There are so many things about you to love. You're strong, but gentle. Honest and always willing to stand up for what's right. You are loyal, smart, protective, gorgeous, funny and watching you with children…who could want any more? I'm…"

"Amazing in every way." Kurt interrupted her. "You can do things that I have never seen. You have talents that even you don't know about yet. You constantly surprise me with what you can do. But that isn't why I love you. I love you for your heart, your empathy, determination. I love the fact that you never stop and you always look for the best in people. I love that you slipped through my walls and fill all that empty space with pieces of you."

The first tear fell.

"And I love that all the things that make you extraordinary you can't even see…" He smiled down at her with that look, the one that always made her heart jolt.

"I love you," She told him with a trembling smile.

"And I love you. That will never change." He chided her.

It was her turn to give him that look…Closing his eyes he shook his head and reclaimed her lips. This kiss was a gentle healing. There would always be time for intimacy, but their relationship was about so much more than that. She filled all of the lonely places in his soul and he knew he did the same for her. How she could not know that was just another puzzle he was determined to solve.

Drawing back reluctantly he told her, "We need to go."

She nodded her head and began to gather what few things she had. He put the key back in the box and the box back in his bag and then he watched her, one of his favorite things to do...

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"What do you mean he found her?" Patterson demanded to Stewart.

"We thought that you'd been abducted," Stewart explained, "And we found a box with Jane Doe FBI written on it," He walked over and pulled up the scanned images.

Patterson recognized the design immediately.

"After he took a team out to search for you, he took the box and said that he was taking it to Jane." Stewart explained.

"Taking it where?" Tasha demanded with worry in her voice. They had just returned from their own little journey to the back of beyond and she worried that Kurt was on his own false trail.

"He didn't say," Stewart denied, "But he left two days ago and no one has seen or heard from him since.

"Can you track his cell phone?" Reed looked over at Patterson.

"We tried that," Stewart admitted, "He must have taken the battery out…"

"Or somebody else did," Tasha worried.

"How could you let him go alone?" Patterson worried.

"He said she was alive," Stewart explained, "He didn't say he thought she knew where she might be…he said he was go to her."

"The only way he could have been that sure was if he spoke to her himself," Reed suggested.

Patterson immediately began to pull up Kurt's phone records from the day in question. She found the call immediately.

"It was a satellite phone," She looked at Tasha and Reed with hope.

"Where did it come from?" Tasha demanded.

"I don't know that yet," Patterson denied, "But I can see it's registered to Ellie Knox from Seattle, Washington."

Tasha joined her on another computer and began typing. It wasn't long before she had the social media up for Ellie Knox.

"According to Ellie's Facebook page, they are on a European trip…" Tasha pulled up the uploaded photos.

"Don't people realize that you aren't supposed to post your vacation photos before you return?" Reed walked over and looked at the images.

Both Tasha and Patterson looked at him in disbelief.

"I'm just saying…" Reed defended himself.

"When was the last update?" Patterson asked.

"Yesterday," Tasha told her.

"Look at her posts," Reed suggested.

Tasha moved from the pictures to the posts.

She says… _Almost fell off the mountain today, was saved by an angel with a lot of ink._

 _"_ That has to be Jane," Reed looked at the others with real hope.

"So he really might have found her," Tasha looked up with a little laugh.

"Let's hope so," Patterson said seriously, "He can't go on like this."

"So how do we find them?" Reed looked back to Patterson.

"I'm just going to call that satellite phone," Patterson told them.

Watching silently the others waited.

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Roman listened to the Monk tell him about Jane's visitor and immediately pulled out his phone and showed her a picture of Kurt.

When she smiled in affirmation that it was him, he closed the phone and thanked her.

Rubbing the back of his neck wearily he considered his options. He'd thought that if he took Jane it would keep her safe and it had physically. Emotionally, she wasn't the same. He'd watched her and waited for her to snap out of it, but she hadn't.

Realizing that Kurt had tracked her over half way around the world, he's guessing Weller hadn't either.

He didn't know what to do. It wasn't safe for them to be together, but stopping them obviously wasn't an option. That just meant that he was now on babysitting duty. He'd watch over them until there wasn't any need.

The resentment that he'd carried when Jane had chosen her life with Kurt over him had faded. As had his anger with Jane for Zipping him. It'd taken some time, but he'd finally realized she'd done it for him and not to him. He'd been angry for a really long time.

Gathering his things, Roman left the village and headed into the woods. There was only one way out and he needed to get ahead of them. He had no doubt they were leaving.

If Kurt could find her, then anyone watching him would as well. He feared their safe haven might have just become a hunting ground.

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Kurt and Jane left immediately. He was worried about Roman and what he was doing and he wanted to get Jane someplace he could control the environment more easily. It was beautiful here, but he had the uncomfortable feeling that they were too exposed. He never discounted those feelings because they'd kept him alive on more than one occasion.

When they'd gone to say goodbye to the Monks Jane had hugged them and they'd become visibly upset at her departure. He knew exactly how they felt. She touched the lives of all the people she met, but never seemed to realize just how much she meant to them.

She'd led the way out of the village, but as they'd gotten further into the woods, Kurt had taken the lead. He liked to be behind her because it allowed him to keep his eyes on her. It made it easy from him to keep verifying that she was there, in front of him, that this wasn't a dream.

In front he was able to protect her more easily, however, it didn't take too long for him to realize he was going to have a crick in his neck as often as he looked back to make sure she was still there.

Going down was much easier and they were making good time. He'd begun to consider whether or not it was a good idea to head into the next village or if they should find some shelter outside of town when it happened. The shot was loud in the silence. Kurt was on her in an instant. Flattening her beneath him his hands ran over her checking for injuries.

"Kurt!" Jane was just as frantic.

"Are you hit?" He demanded his heart racing.

"No," Jane denied, "Are you?"

"No," Kurt assured her. He knelt over her and then placing an arm around her waist he crawled deeper into the foliage, keeping her plastered to his chest, on hand shielding the back of her head.

"I can crawl," She assured him.

"We don't know where the shooter is," Kurt denied, "I'm not giving him a clear shot of you."

"What if he's shooting at you?" Jane worried, "It might be Roman."

If Kurt were truthful, he hoped it was Roman. He'd had Jane for months and not hurt her. Until he knew one way or the other, he was going to consider Jane the primary target and act accordingly.

Jane had been following after Kurt with her heart racing. It wasn't because of the walk, but because of the man in front of her. He'd come after her. He didn't want Allie. He loved her.

When she saw they he was still wearing his wedding ring…she'd wanted to cry. That he still loved her, after everything that's happened was in her mind a miracle. There are people that break up over the littlest things, but he'd literally been through hell for her and he loved her still. He was her miracle. The one thing in her life that was worth any sacrifice…

The shot when it came only served to remind her exactly what she was in this relationship. She was the catalyst. Destruction followed her like a black mist trying to swallow all the people she cared about, always lurking for the hint of happiness to strike.

"We need to move," He urged her.

She knew he was right. If the shooter was still targeting them, they needed to put as much distance between them and their last known location ASAP.

"Let's go," Jane agreed. This time she led the way. She'd been in these mountains longer than Kurt. She didn't know their exactly location, but the topography was familiar and the terrain her specialty.

The sun had already slipped behind the mountain and she used the long shadows for cover. She finally found what she was looking for about a mile from the trail. Looking over at Kurt she pointed to a ledge that was about 200 feet above the base of the cliff.

"Do you think you can make that?" She worried.

Kurt looked up in surprise. It would be defensible…if they lived.

"I can make it," He assured her.

She began climbing, pointing out the hand and toe holes for him. He had a longer reach than she did, so she was relieved when he didn't seem to be struggling. The arrived at the small cave in one piece and Kurt checked it for any living things before he and Jane settled down inside the narrow opening. It was slightly above the trees so the view was unexpectedly spectacular.

He pulled his weapon out the pocket he'd placed it when they'd begun their climb and then reached for her hand. Lacing his fingers with hers, he watched the long shadows fade into total darkness. Once he could no longer visibly see her, the contact with her hand became less of a bond and more of a necessity. He didn't know how long it would take him to get past his continued fear of being separated from her again, but he knew it was going to be a long tough road. As long as she walked it with him, he was going to make it.

Jane felt the warmth of his hand and finally leaned over to rest her head against his shoulder wearily. He immediately rested his cheek against the top of her head.

"I love you," She said into the darkness.

Squeezing her hand and placing a kiss on the top of her head he responded, "I love you too. Get some sleep I'll take the first watch."

Jane didn't protest, she was tired and she knew he was too. "Wake me in a couple of hours."

Watching the stars blanket the sky with diamonds, Kurt couldn't remember a time when Jane hadn't been necessary to his happiness. Even with someone stalking them through the woods he was happy. He'd gotten Jane back and that made up for everything else. With Jane next to him all was right in his world.


	11. Chapter 11

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

Okay, really late post. I was trying to write a little bit every day, as many of you can empathize with…it is harder than it sounds. Ha! Anyway the crickets in my head were really messing with my concentration so it took a little while. I also blame my husband for distracting me by being interesting…how dare he? Doesn't he realize I need my Jeller fix to be happy and productive? Anyhoo (I love that expression I got it from a review) I will try to post regularly during the extremely long hiatus, but no promises…

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Jane watched the sun rise over the valley, but as beautiful as it was there was another site infinitely more precious to her. Looking over she smiled at Kurt. He was still asleep. Even as her eyes ran over his features his eyes opened. Their gazes met and Jane felt that familiar jolt.

"Good morning," She smiled at him.

Looking up at her Kurt couldn't have agreed more, "Morning."

"Do you think we should get going?" She worried.

Kurt didn't want to go. Anyone looking for them would expect them to move quickly. They could throw them off the trail by not moving at all.

"I almost think that we should wait, we can't delay too long," He said regretfully, "But if anyone is looking for us, they won't find us here."

Jane reached for her pack, "The Monks gave us some food."

He watched as she pulled out some fruit and bread.

"Looks great," He reached for one of the oranges.

She tore the bread in two and passed him his half.

They ate in silence watching the sun rise. Once they were finished Jane leaned back against the rock and looked over at Kurt.

He was watching her already. For some reason that made her blush.

He smiled. Leaning over he nudged her shoulder with his. "You know what it does to me when you do that," He accused her.

If anything her blush deepened.

Suddenly his smile faded and he got an intense look on his face. Leaning in he kissed her, his hand holding her steady.

She returned his kiss, smiling at the taste of orange on his lips.

"You taste good," She told him, her voice husky.

He knew that they should wait until they found someplace to stay, until they knew they were safe…but he couldn't have waited another minute to have her in his arms again.

Pulling her astride him he pulled her shirt over her head.

She looked him in the eyes while her hands made short work of his buttons.

Once they were both bare from the waist up he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. He shuttered at the skin on skin contact. He began to kiss the side of her neck while her hands clutched at his head.

Jane closed her eyes and cradled him to her. She hadn't thought she'd ever get the opportunity to be this close to him again.

The circumstance should have made what followed hasty or unsatisfying in some way, but nothing could have been further from the truth. Reconnecting intimately gave them satisfaction that was so much more than physical. After they used Jane's wet wipes to clean up and redress, Kurt pulled her down in front of him, between his legs, her back resting against his chest. His arms were around her waist and she was running her fingers up on down his arms in a whisper soft caress that made goose bumps break out on his skin.

"We're going to have to leave soon," He nuzzled the side of her head, his eyes closed.

She leaned into him and sighed.

"I know," She admitted, "Is it wrong that I would stay here with you forever if I could?"

"No," He denied with a smile.

"You have a pretty good vantage point from up here," Jane told him, "I could go first. That way you can see if anyone's waiting for us."

"You want to use yourself as bait?" His smile died quickly, every muscle in his body going stiff.

"Not bait," Jane denied.

"Then what would you call it?" Kurt demanded.

"Teamwork," She insisted.

"No." He wouldn't be swayed.

"Kurt most likely it's Roman, he's not going to hurt me." She insisted.

"I just got you back," Kurt insisted, "I'm not going to risk losing you."

Seeing his expression, Jane conceded. Leaning in she claimed a kiss.

He relaxed when he realized they were going together.

"You are not expendable," Kurt told her seriously.

"Neither are you," She agreed.

They made their way carefully down the side of the cliff. Jane knew the climb down would be their most vulnerable moment and she looked over at Kurt and smiled once they reached the ground.

He knew that they still had a tactical disadvantage, but looking over at his smiling wife, he realized there was no place he'd rather be.

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"I found Devon," Patterson told Reed and Zapata.

"Where is she?" Zapata demanded.

"She's the same place she's been for over a year."

"Which is?" Reed asked impatiently.

"Ashland Park Cemetery." Patterson said with a troubled frown.

"What?" Zapata looked stunned.

"She died from complications during delivery." Patterson explained.

"Then who the hell is targeting Jane?" Reed demanded.

"I don't know." Patterson admitted.

"The bigger question is why did Nas lie to us in the first place?" Zapata said with a scowl.

"Something was definitely going on with her before she died," Reed agreed.

"So if the information we were given is false," Patterson worried, "Then all of our Intel for the last three months is for nothing."

"It also means that we were looking for Jane based on a set of parameters that no longer exist." Reed agreed.

"If she hadn't contacted Kurt," Patterson realized, "We might not have ever found her."

"If he did find her," Zapata worried.

"So I guess this means that trusting the NSA is out," Patterson realized.

"Like I ever trusted them to begin with," Zapata scoffed.

"You didn't trust Nas?" Patterson asked with surprise.

"Not really," Zapata admitted, "It felt like she came in here with an agenda and she would have done whatever it took to get our cooperation."

"She sacrificed herself for us," Reed reminded her.

"Did she?" Zapata argued, "I never saw her brought before Congress…did any of you?"

"That's because we were able to bring down Sheppard," Patterson argued.

"Well," Zapata said stubbornly, "I think there's more to it than that, but I guess we'll never really know for sure."

Patterson mulled over Tasha's words. If you looked at it from that perspective, things started to make a little more sense.

Reed didn't agree or disagree, but the frown on his face told its own story.

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Kurt and Jane made it all the way to Venice. Booking them into a room, Kurt looked at Jane. "I need to go out, get some supplies."

"I can come with you," She offered with a worried frown.

"No," Kurt denied, "We're trying to keep a low profile and you're someone people can't forget."

Jane rubbed her tattoos self-consciously.

"The tattoos draw attention too," Kurt smiled down at her in reassurance.

Jane looked up at him in surprise.

"You're beautiful," He told her.

She smiled in embarrassment.

"Watch your back," Jane worried.

"Always," He assured her, "Come on I'll walk you to our room."

He left her once she was safely inside. He needed to pick up a burner phone and contact the office. He also wanted to get some food.

Jane immediately headed toward the shower. He hoped everyone in the hotel had already showered because she was about to use all the hot water.

She pulled out a spare change of clothes and peeled off her dirty garments. Standing under the spray she let the water pore over her and closed her eyes in satisfaction. Grabbing the soap she took her time. Suddenly there was a sound in the other room.

"Kurt?" Jane called in surprise. She'd expected him to take longer.

When there was no response, she left the water running and grabbed a towel. She wrapped it around her and secured it moving over to the door. She didn't have a weapon. She looked around for something to use and realized that as nice as the hotel was, there was nothing to defend herself with.

Her eyes fell to the window. If she went out the window she could surprise anyone in the other room. Moving quickly she didn't hesitate. The ledge was narrow but she stepped out without hesitation.

Kurt was carrying the bags containing his purchases when he looked up at the hotel. His heart dropped when he saw Jane gingerly moving along the very narrow ledge. As if that hadn't been enough to tell him something was terribly wrong, she was wearing a towel.

Just as she was passing a window suddenly an arm came out and wrapped around her waist. He watched helplessly as she disappeared into the room behind her. He was running before her feet had completely cleared the frame.

Jane brought her elbow up to hit the man behind her.

Roman blocked her blow.

"Calm down," He told her.

"What are you doing?" Jane demanded holding her towel secure.

"Saving your ass," He told her.

"From what…Kurt?" Jane demanded.

"No," Roman actually laughed, "I give up on that. There's a man in your room, however, and he doesn't seem too friendly."

"Did you have something to do with Patterson, Tasha and Reed disappearing?" Jane demanded.

"No," Roman looked at her strangely, "I know you've not been saying much lately, but you must have noticed I was with you."

"Then what's going on?" She demanded.

"I don't know," Roman denied, "I can tell you that no way Devon has taken over where Sheppard left off."

"Why?" Jane demanded.

"She was only there for Parker," He told her, "She didn't have strong convictions about change."

"She lost their child," Jane told him, "After he died in the raid on the FBI."

"Even if that made her bitter," Roman denied, "Nobody would follow her. She wasn't strong enough. She wasn't like us. We were either feared or respected, she was neither. They wouldn't follow her."

"Come back with us," Jane asked him, "Help us figure this out."

"Kurt's more than likely to kill me than let me help." Roman denied.

"He won't hurt you," Jane denied.

"Sure," Roman told her, "He thinks I'm trying to kill you and that I've abducted your team. He'll make me diner and ask about my day."

Suddenly Jane could hear a loud crash. She looked over at Roman in dismay.

"I think your husband's home," Kurt laughed. "I think that's my cue."

Jane watched him turn toward the same window he'd pulled her from.

"Wait," She called after him. He didn't listen.

Just then the connecting door behind her burst open and Kurt was there. He was beside her in a few steps, pulling her against him protectively.

"What's going on?" He demanded.

"It was Roman," She admitted pointing toward the window.

Kurt squeezed her before running to the window and looking out. Seeing Roman climbing down the fire escape he thrust his gun and Jane and warned her. "I'm going after him, watch your back."

She took the gun and protested, "Wait!" But he was gone.

Jane ran back toward their room, turned off the shower and drug on her clothes. Grabbing the box with the key she ran after them, heart racing.

She reached street level in time to watch Roman pulling away from the side of the hotel in a boat. She searched for Kurt frantically only to find him standing on a bridge further up the canal. Even as she watched in horror, Kurt leaped over the side and dropped down onto the boat racing beneath him. She gasped in fright as he held onto the side precariously, before losing his grip and dropping into the canal. She held her breath until he surfaced. Rushing over to his side she waited while he climbed out.

"He got away," He told her with a grimace.

"Are you okay?" Jane worried.

"I'm fine, you?" He demanded.

"I'm fine. Someone was in our room, it wasn't Roman."

"Let's get off the street. Standing here isn't safe. We need to figure out what's going on." Kurt didn't touch her, but he crowded close enough that he could shield her if it came to that.

"Did you get what you needed?" Jane worried.

"Yeah," Kurt agreed. The stopped by the room only long enough to gather their stuff and leave. It clearly wasn't the safe haven they'd been looking for.

"You need to get cleaned up," Jane worried.

"We'll find someplace else to stay," Kurt assured her, "I'll get cleaned up there."

"I asked Roman about the team," Jane told him.

"What'd he say?" Kurt looked over at her.

"He was surprised," Jane explained, "I don't think he had anything to do with it."

"Why were you out on the ledge?" Kurt demanded.

"Someone was in our room." Jane admitted.

"Roman?" Kurt verified.

"I don't think so," Jane denied, "I was using the ledge to get behind them, when Roman pulled me off."

"What were you planning to do?" Kurt demanded, "You didn't have a weapon and you were wearing a towel."

"I knew you were coming back," Jane explained, "I wasn't going to let someone ambush you."

Kurt brought his hand up and rubbed his face wearily. She was a warrior, but he felt the need to protect her from harm, it was sure to bring plenty of future conflict.

"So Roman was what? Protecting you?" He verified.

"He said so." Jane admitted, "He also doubted the Intel Nas gave us on Devon. He said she wasn't the type and even if she decided she wanted revenge, the others would never have followed her."

"Well if it's not Roman and it's not Devon," Kurt asked her, "Who the hell is it?"

"I don't know," Jane admitted with a worried frown.

Seeing the look on her face Kurt couldn't resist reaching over and taking her hand. The contact soothed them both.


	12. Chapter 12

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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I have been reading Fan Fics all day! It has been an amazing day full of fluff, angst, elopements, Ficlets and a blast to the past…who can write with all the good stuff to read? If only I could read French…but I can't. Sigh. Oh well, here's my contribution to the hiatus…hope you enjoy. Slightly racy…you've been warned.

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Kurt stood underneath the shower and rested his head against his arm. He kept picturing Jane standing on that ledge over and over in his mind. He'd just found her and almost lost all in the span of 24 hours. He couldn't go through that again. Who was doing this? He would have bet on Roman, but if anything Roman seemed to be watching out for Jane…so who was trying to kill her?

"Kurt?" Jane called his name in concern.

Rising up his head he looked through the glass partition to see her standing inside the doorway, a worried frown on her face.

"Are you okay?" She asked him.

"Not really," He said honestly, turning off the water.

She reached over and grabbed a towel and extended it to him.

He took it and began to dry off.

"What's wrong?" She worried.

"Well," Kurt looked up at her and said, "Someone wants you dead, someone wants you alive and someone wants your attention and all of those people might, or might not be the same person."

Jane took the tension in his shoulders and frown on his face in an arrow straight through her heart. This wasn't the carefree Kurt of their marriage. This was the Kurt she'd met when she'd first climbed out of that bag, who carried the weight of the world on his shoulders and determination in his heart to make it right.

This was the Kurt burdened by his wife's life. She couldn't look at him. The weight of her guilt would always be heavy.

"Jane," Kurt read the look on her face easily, "I didn't mean…"  
"I know. It's okay," Jane interrupted him.

He threw the towel over his shoulder and moved over to her side. "No, it's not. This isn't your fault and I don't blame you. I'm just worried."

"This was why I wasn't going to come back," Jane whispered, "You're worried when I'm with you and you're worried when I'm not, but you're only safe when I'm gone."

"That's not true," Kurt immediately denied.

"Did anyone shoot at you or break into your room while I was gone?" She demanded becoming angry, "Did you feel the need to put your body at risk to stop someone from running? Did you have to hide out in a cave?"

"No, not those specific things," Kurt denied, "But the life we live is dangerous."

She watched when he absently reached for his left thigh. It was only then that she noticed that he'd been shot. It would have only been a graze, but the fact that he'd been hurt and she hadn't known anything about it made her begin to feel light headed. He could have died was the consuming thought.

He saw her eyes move to his still healing injury before she became extremely pale.

"Jane!" He moved into crowd close, worried about her reaction.

"You were shot…" She said weakly, eyes still riveted on his wound.

"It was just a graze," He hastily assured her.

"What happened?" She had moved on from dizzy to hot. Suddenly she feared she was going to be sick. She didn't understand what was happening. They'd both been hurt before, but the thought that he could have died without her ever having seen him again had taken her out at the knees.

"We were taking down a member of a cartel wanted for human trafficking," Kurt explained, "They got off a lucky shot. That's all."

"That's all?" She repeated blankly.

He pulled her unresisting body against him.

"It's nothing," He insisted turning her face up to look at him.

She met his eyes and he could see the raw emotion in hers. He leaned in to claim her lips and what started out as an attempt to reassure her quickly turned into something much more basic.

This wasn't reverent or slow. This was desperate and wild, a need to reassure the other that they were alive and beside each other. They vied for dominance, but both ended up winning in the end.

Jane fell down boneless beside Kurt and attempted to catch her breath. They'd always been amazingly compatible, but it almost felt like the satisfaction they'd just found had surpassed the physical.

"That was…" She couldn't even think of a word that would adequately describe what they had just shared.

"Not enough," Kurt finished for her, reaching for her again.

She looked up in startled surprise as he rolled her beneath him.

"Kurt?" She gasped breathlessly as he surged deeply.

"It will never be enough," He insisted his eyes piercing down at her. "I will never stop needing you. I will never stop wanting you. I will never let you go. I love you."

She could see the determination in his eyes as he made this vow.

"I love you, too."

She could feel the strength of his hands and the gentle way he controlled their movements. She had thought there was no way that her spent and exhausted body could take any more, but she'd been wrong. The emotions that he'd been so tightly controlling since he walked into that tent and seen her again broke free and he was voracious in his need. She met him kiss for kiss and touch for touch. When they finally fell asleep they were still joined in every way there was. His arms a prison she had no desire to escape.

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He'd been searching for her for months to no avail. His frustration was at an all-time high when Weller had finally received the call from his wife.

He had hoped to beat him to Jane, but Weller had been able to ask the locals and he'd been unwilling to link himself with Jane in any concrete way. That disadvantage is exactly what led to this new and escalating frustration. Weller had gotten to his wife first and he was doing everything in his power to keep her alive while he was doing whatever it took to kill her. If it had been anyone but Kurt Weller, he would have liked his chances of succeeding, but Weller was good…really good. Add his skills to his determination to keep his wife alive and you had a real challenge on your hands.

Then there was Jane. She was the most dangerous person he'd ever encountered and in his line of work that was saying something. He needed to get rid of her in the worst possible way, but it clearly was going to have to wait until they got back to New York. Attempting to locate them here would draw unnecessary attention and he needed a low profile now more than ever. Cursing his circumstances, the man turned and walked away.

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When Stewart's phone rang he froze before looking up at Patterson in dismay. She ran a tight ship and personal phone calls at work were a hot button for her.

Patterson looked over at Stewart in surprise.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" She finally asked him.

He pulled out the phone and looked over at her in apology, "I don't know anyone I know who would call me at work."

She just looked at him.

"Hello?" He finally turned his attention to the caller.

"Stewart, its Weller." Kurt told him.

"Weller…" Stewart said in relief.

Suddenly the phone was all but yanked from his hand.

"Weller," Patterson demanded, "Are you okay?"

"Patterson?" Weller asked in surprise.

"Yeah," She assured him, "Did you find Jane?"

Looking over at Jane he smiled, "I found her."

"Thank God!" Patterson let out a little laugh in relief, "Is she okay?"

"She's fine," He assured her.

"Are Reed and Tasha with you?" Weller worried.

"Yes," She assured him, "We were following a tip we had on Jane and we had a little car trouble."

"So you were never taken?" He clarified.

"No," She assured him.

"We're coming back," Kurt assured her, "But we need to be careful, so it's going to take a couple of days."

"Do you need reinforcements?" Patterson demanded.

"No," Kurt denied, "But I do need for you to make everything ready. Keep a tight lid on this, but we need to gear up security. Have a detail assigned on standby to watch out for Jane and I need our place gone over. Check for security risks, bugs and any new tenants need a complete background check."

"We're on it," Patterson assured him, "Does Hirst know?"

"No," Kurt denied, "You and now Stewart are currently the only two people who have any idea. You can get Reed and Tasha on board, but nobody else."

"We won't let you down," Patterson assured him.

"I know you won't," Kurt agreed.

"Kurt," Patterson called to him before he could hang up, "Tell Jane we've missed her."

"I will," Kurt assured her.

Once Patterson hung up Stewart verified, "He found her?"

"He did," Patterson assured him looking around, "But we need to keep it between us."

"Not a word," Stewart assured her.

She smiled at him in excitement and gave him a hug which he awkwardly returned.

"Sexual harassment in the work place is a serious offense," Reed said from the doorway, Tasha following him inside with a laugh.

"Shut up," Patterson warned him rushing over to their side.

"What?" Reed took a step back.

"He found her," Patterson whispered.

"He found her?" Tasha repeated in excitement.

"You spoke to him?" Reed confirmed.

"Is she okay?" Tasha worried.

"He said she was," Patterson assured them, "He needs to keep a tight lid on this until they get back."

"When will they arrive?" Reed asked.

"Not for a couple more days," Patterson explained what Kurt needed from them.

"We've got this," Tasha agreed immediately.

"I was afraid he would never find her." Patterson admitted with watery eyes.

"He didn't," Reed reminded her, "She called him."

"It's pretty scary to realize that if she hadn't wanted to be found, we wouldn't have been able to." Tasha said thoughtfully.

"Can you imagine what might have happened if Sheppard had been as good at disappearing as Jane?" Reed shook his head at that problem.

"Or if Jane had been as crazy as her mom," Patterson shuttered.

"Well, I'm glad she's on our side," Stewart said with a thoughtful frown.

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Kurt hung up the phone and looked over at Jane in relief.

"What?" She smiled at the look on his face.

"I spoke with Patterson," He told her.

"What?" She felt overwhelming relief.

"She, Reed and Tasha just had car trouble when hunting down a lead. They were never taken at all." Kurt explained.

Jane frowned, "Wait, I thought you said that when you went to look for them all you found was the box with my name."

Now it was Kurt's turn to frown, "Your right."  
"Where did you find it?" Jane worried.

"At Patterson's place," Kurt admitted.

"So more than likely their lead and car trouble was probably a set up to make you think they were missing." Jane suggested.

"Why would anyone do that? I would have figured it out when they came back." Kurt argued.

"Maybe they weren't sure you'd come after me unless you felt like you had to…" Jane suggested.

"Then they don't know me at all," Kurt said bluntly.

"They probably don't know you," Jane realized in relief, "That can narrow down the suspect list to someone watching you, but not a friend."

"Why do you think they're watching me?" Kurt asked.

"Two reasons," Jane told him, "They saw you with Allie and thought you had gone back to her and they knew when I contacted you. I haven't had any attempts on me since we got here, until the day after you arrived. They came with you."

It was Kurt's turn to feel guilt.

"Stop it," Jane pleaded when she saw the look on his face, "This is good."

"How can any of this be good?" Kurt demanded.

"The person that left the box had Intel that most people don't have access to. They can successfully trail an FBI agent that is one of the best in the field without being detected and they have access to your phone calls. There aren't that many people or agencies that could do that." Jane told him.

"I can only think of two," Kurt agreed, "The NSA or the CIA."

At the mention of the NSA, Jane's eyes clouded.

"I'm sorry about Nas," She whispered to Kurt.

"What happened that night?" Kurt worried, pulling her against him as he braced to hear her version of what happened.

"I don't know all the details," Jane admitted. "I remember eating with you and then feeling sick. I tried to come to you, but I must have passed out because the next thing I know I woke up in a tightly confined space. At first I thought I had been buried."

Kurt's arms tightened around her at that disclosure.

"Then I felt the motion of the car and realized I was in a trunk. I was able to unzip the suitcase and find a tire iron by the time the car stopped. I heard a shot and I remember panicking not knowing where you were."

Kurt thought knowing the facts had prepared him to hear her tell it, but he'd been wrong. Hearing her account and all the fear and anxiety she wasn't able to hide gave it a new painful dimension that the facts hadn't had before. Knowing that she'd been in a suitcase inside a trunk had been bad enough, but hearing how scared and frantic she'd been made it so much worse…

"When the trunk lid finally opened, I didn't wait to see who was there, but swung the tire iron at their head. It was Roman, but I was still dizzy from the drugs and he was able to disarm me too easily. I tried going for the weapon of the man Roman had killed, but he beat me to it. When I woke up again, I saw that Nas was dead…Roman said he hadn't done it, but why would the man with Nas kill her?" Jane said skeptically.

"What happened then?" Kurt encouraged her.

"Roman tried to convince me that you would be better off without me…" Jane admitted, "I know he was probably right…but I'd given you my word that I wouldn't leave, so he subdued me again and took me. You know the rest."

"I'm not now," Kurt insisted, "Nor will I ever be better off without you."

Jane looked up at him with a trembling smile.


	13. Chapter 13

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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They flew back in a military transport plane. It was loud and hot, but Jane was still happy to be with Kurt and finally heading home.

The team met them at the runway. Jane stepped out of the plane and into the warm embrace of her family. Patterson cried, Tasha was gruff and Reed shared a silent smile with her over their heads, one hand resting on her shoulder.

"We missed you so much!" Patterson was telling her.

"Weller was a pain in our ass," Tasha agreed.

"Let her breathe," Reed insisted, not waiting once the other two had let go of Jane to embrace her himself.

Stewart stood to the side wondering how he'd been included in such an obviously important moment.

"Stewart," Kurt reached over and shook his hand, "Thanks for manning the store."

Stewart felt his chest rise at the compliment. Weller's team was pretty amazing. Agents would do almost anything to be considered part of this elite unit and he'd been included in a way he would never have expected.

"I can't believe that Patterson is comfortable with both of you being away from your stations at the same time," Jane teased him, before giving him a hug, "Surely the place is falling down."

"I'm not a controlling micromanager," Patterson denied.

When the others just looked at her and laughed she looked over at Stewart and demanded, "I'm not…tell them."

"Uhhh," He shifted uncomfortably and even Patterson had to laugh.

"So did you get our place checked out?" Kurt asked as they moved over to the SUV.

"We did and Jane's detail is awaiting their assignment. They know they have a high profile protection duty, but we haven't told anyone who it is." Reed explained.

"You're assigning me a detail?" Jane looked over at Kurt in surprise.

"Considering everything that's happened in the past few months, you should be glad I'm not handcuffing you to me." He told her bluntly.

"Any luck finding Devon?" Kurt asked once the car was in motion.

"We found her…" Patterson admitted, "She's dead."

"When?" Kurt shared a look with Jane.

"Over a year ago," Patterson admitted.

"So Nas lied," Kurt said with a hard jaw.

"Yes," Patterson confirmed.

"What'd you find out with the box?" Stewart asked Kurt.

Looking over at him Kurt shook his head, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Was it a biometric scan?" He insisted.

"It was," Kurt agreed, "You were right."

"Where are we going?" Reed asked as he pulled out of the airport.

"Back to the office," Kurt told them, "We have to scan Jane's tattoos."

"I'm already documented them," Patterson insisted, "If you want to go home…"

"Her new tattoos," Weller explained.

Everyone looked over at Jane in surprise. She looked the same to them.

"What new tattoos?" Tasha demanded.

"You'll have to wait and see it for yourself," Kurt told them with a frown of concern at Jane.

"So if it's not Devon," Jane worried, "Who is it?"

"Someone made it personal," Kurt said with a frown.

With those words everything clicked into place.

"I have an idea," Stewart said from the back seat.

"On who might be targeting Jane?" Kurt looked over his shoulder at him.

"It was something the team was talking about the other day…" Stewart admitted, "They were saying that if Sheppard had hid as well as Jane or if Jane had ever been as radical as her mother everything could have been very different and I agreed that it was a good thing Jane was on our side…"

Jane shared a look with Kurt.

"And you just said that it was personal…" Stewart went on, "There is only one person that I can think of that hides as well as Jane, is as radical as Sheppard and has a personal grudge against Jane."

"Cade," Kurt realized.

"Cade," Stewart confirmed.

"But he helped us bring down Sheppard," Jane argued.

"He still blames you for Marcos' death," Reed insisted.

"But I killed Oscar…" Jane denied.

"We still need to check it out," Kurt insisted.

"We spent so much time chasing down Nas false trail," Patterson worried, "We should have thought of Cade sooner. Great job Stewart."

With those words of praise Stewart realized that he could actually see them welcoming him into their ranks instead of just including him on their outing. He'd known that even though they were considered elite by everyone else, they were team players and didn't hold themselves above anyone. It was just another thing to admire about them. He felt lucky to have found a place like this to work with a boss like Weller leading the unit. It made him all the more determined to do whatever he could to protect his team.

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When they arrived back at the office they created quite a stir. Agents converged on them immediately, all happy and relieved to see that Jane was still alive. They'd all secretly doubted it.

Kurt gave them the moment they needed to celebrate, but eventually he insisted, "We have some things we need to do…so get back to work."

When Stewart turned away, Kurt called out to him, "Not you Stewart, team my office."

Stewart felt ten feet tall walking into Weller's office with the others.

Pulling the box from the backpack, Kurt turned to Jane and they showed the others how it opened.

"What is that?" Tasha demanded looking at the metal object.

"It's a key," Kurt explained picking it up, before placing the box on his desk.

"To what?" Reed demanded.

"Close the blinds," Kurt warned them.

It only took moment for the room to be sealed from view.

"Ready?" Kurt looked at Jane.

She nodded.

When she reached out for the key the others gasped as the bird reappeared.

"I've never seen that," Patterson admitted with a frown.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Kurt warned her raising the key to Jane's neck.

When the new tattoos began to glow the others looked on in stunned disbelief.

"That's not possible," Patterson protested.

"Could these have been there all along and we missed them?" Kurt asked her.

"No way," Patterson denied, "I scanned her in all spectrums, these weren't there before. If they had been I would have seen them or they would have been exposed at the CDC."

"How can they be new?" Tasha demanded.

"Does it hurt?" Reed asked Jane in concern.

"No," She denied with a smile at his question, "It freaks me out a little bit, but doesn't hurt."

"The itching," Patterson blurted out.

"What?" Jane looked at her in incomprehension.

"When you came out of the coma…you complained of itching." Patterson reminded her, "Nas said it was because of the anesthesia, but I'd never heard of that…"

"So you think that while she was kept in a drug induced coma she was tattooed?" Kurt demanded with a fierce expression.

"When else would it have happened?" Patterson pointed out, "This much ink would have taken weeks to heal."

"So Nas was in on it," Jane realized with a troubled frown.

"Maybe she didn't know it was happening?" Reed suggested.

"No," Kurt denied, "She was trying to cover herself, that's why she took Jane from our place. She knew that if Jane's tattoos showed up, they only place she could have gotten them was with her."

"So she was…what?" Tasha clarified, "Going to hold Jane hostage to give us some alternative scenario?"

"Erase her memory?" Patterson suggested.

At those words Kurt's eyes jerked to Jane's. It made his stomach knot at the thought of her looking at him without recognition. Without the love he'd gotten used to seeing in her eyes when she looked at him. At that moment, if he could have, he would have killed Nas all over again.

"We don't know for sure," Jane insisted.

"I know what this is," Kurt realized.

"What?" Jane worried.

"It's Omaha," Kurt told them.

"So all of these tattoos," Patterson looked back at Jane, "Are corruption?"

"She knew I wouldn't use illegally obtained Intel to go after criminals." Kurt agreed.

"So she made you look at them," Stewart realized.

"What are we going to do?" Tasha demanded.

"We're going to track down Cade, track down Roman and start a new data base." Kurt told them.

"So we're using the tattoos?" Patterson verified.

"The manner in which they were placed on Jane's body was a crime," Kurt told them, "And we are going to solve it. If doing that apprehends other criminals, then so be it."

"Let's head down to the lab," Patterson agreed, watching how the new tattoos had already faded into a soft glow.

"We'll be right there," Kurt told them looking at Jane.

They left without a word and Kurt moved over and pulled Jane against him.

"Are you okay with this?" He worried.

"It's better than last time," She assured him, "Last time you were all strangers, this time you're my family."

"I can't believe that she would do this…" Kurt admitted.

"She was really driven." Jane reminded Kurt, "It must have been terrible knowing all these things about crimes and not be able to do anything to stop them."

Kurt looked down into her face. This was Jane looking for the best in people. He hoped she never lost that.

"How could she not have learned from Mayfair's experience with Daylight?" Kurt still didn't understand.

"To her the end justified the means…" Jane reminded him.

"I'm sorry," Kurt told her, "I should have seen this coming."

"How could you have possibly anticipated this?" Jane asked him with a frown.

"She kept after me about Omaha," He admitted, "If I had helped her find another way…you wouldn't have to go through this and she might not be dead."

"Kurt," Jane placed her hand against his cheek, "We all make our choices. All of this was her choice. You had nothing to do with it. It is not your fault."

He looked down at her concerned eyes and pulled her closer.

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By the time she and Kurt arrived at the lab, Patterson had cleared everyone out. Reed, Tasha, Stewart and Patterson were setting up for the scan.

"We're almost ready," Patterson told them when they arrived.

"Jane you want to…" Tasha trailed off handing her a robe.

"Get naked," Jane finished for her, "Yeah, I'm going."

Once Jane had disappeared into the bathroom, Kurt looked at the faces of the people standing with him.

"This is classified information," He reminded them, "This database will be locked and only accessed by the people in this room. Nobody else knows anything about these tattoos and I want to keep it that way."

The other's nodded in affirmation.

Looking over at Reed and Stewart, Kurt told them, "I know that this is uncomfortable for you both, but Jane and I trust you or you wouldn't be here."

Just then Jane came out of the bathroom awkwardly.

"I'm ready," She told them.

Walking over to her Kurt placed a kiss on her forehead. "You want us to clear the room?"

Looking at the faces of the people closest to her, Jane denied, "We're in this together."

Kurt took the key and raised it to her neck. The luminescent glow lit the room and Jane untied the robe and let it drop to the floor. Walking over to the scanner she positioned herself as she had before and Patterson began the scan. Reed and Tasha shared a look at the elaborate markings that was their roadmap for the foreseeable future.

Stewart pulled his eyes away from the unexpectedly beautiful sight of Jane's new tattoos and looked at the people in the room. He couldn't believe that he was standing there. Moving over to his own work station he began to build the encryption that would keep this database confidential. That would keep his new team safe.

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Kurt opened the door to their apartment and Jane stepped inside.

She stopped in for foyer and simply looked around in wonder. Everything was just like she remembered it. She didn't know what that surprised her, but it did. She felt as though an eternity had passed since the night she was abducted.

"You okay?" Kurt worried at her hesitation.

"I'm great," She assured him.

He looked down at her drawn face and the dark shadows of fatigue underneath her eyes and dropped their things by the door before reaching for her.

"What?" She gasped as he scooped her up.

"We're going to bed." Kurt told her with a worried expression.

"Oh, yeah?" Jane smiled at him suggestively.

"To sleep," He insisted with a chiding grin.

"Seems short sighted to me…" She teased him.

"Sweetheart you look wiped out," Kurt told her, "And as much as I always want you…I will never put anything before the need to make sure you're okay. What you need right now is sleep."

Jane didn't argue with him, because he was right. She felt wrung out.

He carried her to the bathroom and placed her before the sink. She didn't take long to complete her ablutions. She walked back into the bedroom to find him standing in the center of the room in only his underwear.

"Kurt?" She called to him, moving closer.

He turned toward her with a strange look on his face.

"You okay?" She worried.

Looking down at his hand he looked back up at her vulnerably.

She looked down with him and saw what he was holding. It was her wedding ring. Neither of them spoke, but she lifted a trembling hand up and waited.

He slid the ring onto her finger and took her hand in his. Raising it he kissed the ring on her finger before looking back into her now shimmering eyes.

"I still do and I always will." He whispered.

Closing her eyes she absorbed his words all the way into her soul.

"I could never stop…" She agreed.

Kurt kissed her softly and herded her into bed. He took only long enough to get ready himself before he joined her under the covers. Pulling her against him, he let his hand slide over her warm skin to settle on her stomach, her back pressed against his chest. They were asleep in minutes, each held secure by the other. Each in the only place they ever wanted to be…


	14. Chapter 14

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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Jane stood next to Kurt while Patterson went over the tattoo she'd cracked. It was all very familiar, if somewhat surreal. This had been her life for as long as she could remember, but she'd spent so many months secluded it was almost as if her senses were overstimulated. She knew that Kurt was aware that there was something off, but they really hadn't had the chance to address his worry about her struggle.

"Jane?" Patterson called her name for the second time.

"What?" She pulled herself back to the conversation.

"Are you okay?" Patterson worried.

"I'm fine," Jane dismissed and she would be. She just needed to get used to the routine once more. Time would fix this feeling. She'd learned that lesson the hard way.

"Give us a moment," Kurt told the team taking Jane's arm and leading her away.

"They're waiting," Jane protested once they were alone.

"Then they'll have to wait," Kurt dismissed her concern, "What's going on?"

"Nothing," Jane insisted, "It's just…a little overwhelming being back."

"With the team…or with me?" Kurt forced himself to ask.

"Neither," Jane hastily assured him, "I've been alone in the quiet for months, everything here is…loud."

Kurt looked down at her in new understanding.

"If you need a break," He insisted crowding in close.

"I'm fine," Jane assured him, "I'll focus. I won't let you down."

"It's not about that," Kurt denied, "I need to know you're okay. If you miss some vital piece of information, things could go very wrong."

Jane nodded and firmed her jaw in determination.

They rejoined the team and Patterson finished briefing them.

"Let' gear up," Kurt looked at the others.

When Jane turned to join them he stopped her, "I think you should sit this one out."  
"What? No!" She denied.

"Jane," Kurt insisted, "You just got back, you're still getting used to being in the city. Give yourself some time."  
"I can do it," Jane insisted.

"I didn't say you couldn't," Kurt agreed, "But you don't have to. Not today."

"Kurt I'm your partner and I'm going," Jane wouldn't be swayed.

Kurt looked down into her serious eyes and reluctantly relented.

Jane was angry, not at Kurt, but at herself. She knew she didn't have the luxury of self-speculation, especially during an op. Now Kurt doubted her mindset. He was willing to make himself and their team vulnerable in the field because they didn't know if she had their backs.

They left and headed toward the docks. Patterson had deciphered the name of a ship from Jane's new tattoos. They had no idea why the ship was on her body, which made this op even more dangerous.

When they arrived, the team split up. Tasha and Reed moved into a warehouse next to the dock in hopes that by going up they would be able to provide Jane and Weller with Intel on the deck of the ship.

Kurt and Jane moved toward the gangplank taking cover behind some storage crates.

"What have you got?" Kurt demanded to Reed and Tasha.

"The decks empty," Tasha told him, "Except for the armed guard manning the end of the gangplank."

"Of course," Jane whispered to Kurt giving him a look.

"How diligent does he look?" Kurt asked her.

"He's sitting in a chair facing the entry," Reed warned Kurt, "No way will he miss you."

Jane looked at Kurt and then the anchor line securing the ship to the dock.

"I can make it up the anchor and clear the way." She told him.

"No way," Kurt immediately denied.

"I climbed that cliff in the mountain every day I was there. I can do it." Jane insisted.

Kurt looked down at the woman he needed above all else and then at the ship. He was at a crossroads and he knew it. Let her go and be the woman that he loved or go with his instincts to protect her and smother everything that she was. He knew what he wanted to do, but this wasn't about him and his needs.

"Be careful," He told her.

She smiled up at him and ran over to the line. He watched her easily scale it and it was his turn to smile. That was just another thing he loved about her.

"Jane's going up." He warned Reed and Tasha. "Make sure she's clear."

"We see her," Tasha admitted, "Damn could she always do that?"

"At this point I'm thinking we should start documenting the things she can't do," Reed suggested, "It would take less time."

Jane disappeared onto the deck and Kurt waited for the all clear.

"Clear," Jane told Kurt.

"On my way," He assured her joining her on the deck. "Reed, Tasha we're going below deck. Join us and check out the wheelhouse."

"We're on it," Reed agreed.

Kurt led the way downstairs. Once they were inside he pulled her behind some steps and waited for their eyes to adjust.

"Ready," He asked in a low voice.

She nodded.

It was the second level down when they lost their coms. Sharing a look they continued forward carefully.

They heard talking as they neared the lowest level. It was fast and almost frantic and it wasn't in English.

Kurt looked over at Jane to see if she could understand what was being said.

At first she looked thoughtful, then confused and finally fury transformed her face.

Kurt looked at her and mouthed _what_?

She leaned in until her lips touched his ear and whispered, "Human trafficking…children."

Kurt's face changed. Anytime children were involved he took it personally.

Jane moved over to the steps that led to the lower level and looked down. She couldn't see who was talking so she lay on the floor and looked down through the opening.

Kurt had her back while she did her recon. When she realized that they could move down, she didn't hesitate. Climbing down the steps she felt Kurt following closely on her heals. Once they reached the lower level, Jane moved around some storage lockers and she and Kurt reassessed the situation.

There were obviously two different men speaking, but the frantic voice had been that of a child.

Kurt took point and Jane followed him as he closed in on their suspects.

When they finally located the men, they were attempting to separate two children, a little boy and girl.

Neither of them noticed Kurt and Jane.

"Freeze," Kurt warned them, "FBI."

The men turned toward them in shock releasing the arm of the little girl in the process. The little boy fell backwards at the sudden loss of stability, pulling the girl with him. It was a good thing because the second man was already reaching for his gun.

Kurt and Jane wasted no time and once both the subjects were down and had been disarmed, Jane turned toward the children.

She froze as she watched the girl shielding the little boy from them. The fear in her eyes was heartbreaking.

The flashes of memory began immediately and she was looking at the two children before her but seeing her and Roman instead.

Kurt could also see the correlation and looked over at Jane in concern.

"Jane," He reached for her arm, drawing her attention to him, "They're scared, we need to reassure them."

Jane pulled herself back together before dropping to her knees before them.

Speaking in their language she explained to them that they were there to help them. When they looked over their shoulders at the door that was still ajar, Jane looked up at Kurt in concern.

He turned toward the door, his gun ready, and moved into the opening. The sight that met his eyes had him lowering his gun down in shocked surprise. There were easily thirty children in the small and dark room.

He looked over at Jane and she joined him in the doorway, she could feel her heart race and her eyes fill at the sight of the scared and dirty faces before her.

The sound of running feet had them turning toward the stairway guns ready.

Tasha and Reed where there in moments, "We found four more in the wheelhouse and called for backup, what'd you find?"

Kurt moved aside for her to see for herself. She took in the room before her with a hard jaw.

"What's this?" She demanded.

"Human trafficking," Jane told her.

"What were they going to do with them?" Tasha worried.

Looking down at the man unconscious on the floor Kurt said, "Let's find out."

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Jane stayed with the children while Kurt, Reed and Zapata secured the rest of the ship.

She spoke to them in their own language and attempted to reassure them in any way she could. When one of them looked up at her with a trembling lip and big eyes she felt her own eyes fill.

"It will be okay," She assured the child fluffing his hair.

He threw himself at her legs and held on sobs shaking his slightly body.

She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and rubbed his back. It wasn't long until she was surrounded by children seeking comfort. She knew what they needed, she'd been there herself. Crowding them together she encouraged them to hold onto each other, her voice loud enough to be heard, but soft enough not to scare them she started to tell them a story.

It was a silly story about a frog and a turtle. She had no idea where it came from, but the longer she told it the more familiar it became. She'd told this story before she realized…at the orphanage.

Kurt stopped in the doorway and watched his wife. She'd sunk down to the floor and had two children sitting in her lap. She told her story while the children hung on every word. Their tears had stopped. He wouldn't have thought anything could sooth them after the horror that they'd so obviously endured, but he'd underestimated his wife.

Watching her he learned a new dimension of this woman he claimed for his own. She'd always tried to protect everyone, but seeing her with the children sitting on her lap he realized that he wanted that…with her. A family, a little girl with her fierce determination or a little boy with her gentle heart…he wanted it.

He knew this wasn't the time that he would have to wait, but suddenly the thought of a big family wasn't the scary thing he'd made it.

When she looked up and saw him in the doorway the smile that graced her face made his heart jump. He never thought he could love her more, until he did.

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Patterson looked over at Stewart, "They found child trafficking."

"Are they okay?" He worried.

"Yeah," She assured him, "They're waiting for child protective services to come for the children. They aren't native speakers so Jane's staying to help translate until they can find someone else."

"How many languages does she speak?" Stewart asked with a smile.

"All of them it seems," Patterson admitted, "We can't really say for sure."

"Is her brother like her?" Stewart wondered.

"They had the same upbringing," Patterson admitted, "But Jane received the discipline of Seal training and Roman was left with Sheppard who used that opportunity to radicalize him."

"I don't understand why if he chose his sister over Sheppard initially, and then turn his back on her in the end."

"He picked Jane initially because he loved her." Patterson said with certainty.

"So he just stopped loving her?" Stewart demanded.

"She zipped him," Patterson reminded him, "His love for her was what saved her and her love for him destroyed him."

"Her love for you," Stewart refuted, "She lied to him so that he would cooperate in finding you. When she zipped him he was all she really had. That was a huge sacrifice. She zipped the only person in the world she knew loved her."

Patterson hadn't thought about it like that. She _had_ zipped Roman at a time when she was the most alone and vulnerable. Then she'd lied to him to save her from Sheppard. Jane had given up the most important relationship in her life to save Patterson. The cost had been huge. She couldn't imagine the pain that decision had caused Jane.

Seeing the pained look on Patterson's face, Stewart said hastily, "I didn't mean…"

"No," Patterson interrupted him, "You're right. I never realized…"

"That she loved you?" Stewart finished for her, "She loves all of you."

"And we love her," Patterson agreed with a catch in her voice.

"See, it worked out after all," Stewart insisted.

Patterson knew that Jane was no longer alone, but the guilt of what she'd sacrificed weighed on her mind. She needed to fix this. She didn't know how she was going to do it, but she refuse to let Jane suffer for her mistake with Bordon. It was time for her to save Jane for a change.


	15. Chapter 15

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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Kurt looked down at the paperwork on his desk. It had piled up pretty high. Before he'd found Jane he'd been totally focused on the search. After he found Jane, he'd been determined to spend every minute with her he could. Neither of those mind sets had helped him make any inroads in his work responsibilities.

It didn't help that Jane, Patterson and Tasha had gone for a girl's night out. He knew what was going to happen because he'd seen it a million times. The second they walked into the bar, every eye would turn in their direction. Within ten minutes the offers for drinks…and more would begin. The women in his life were something else and he couldn't blame the men, but he didn't like it.

He'd been doing pretty well until Reed opened the door and walked in.

"What's up?" Kurt asked him, more than ready for a distraction.

"Stewart and I are going to meet our ladies," He told Kurt, "You coming?"

Kurt didn't hesitated, "Do they know we're coming?"

"Naw," Reed denied, "We thought we'd surprise them."

"You're crashing girl's night out?" Kurt asked putting on his suit coat.

"We're crashing it," Reed denied.

"I know why I'm going," Kurt told him, "Why are you?"

"You know what's going to happen," Reed insisted, "They are going to walk into the bar, be completely oblivious to attention they garnish. Tasha will buy the first round, which means that Jane and Patterson will have to buy the next two. Then when you factor in the free drinks that are sent to the table, by the time we get there, Patterson will be too happy, Tasha will be glowering at everyone and Jane will appear to be unaffected. The operative word is here is appear…you remember what happened that time some idiot grabbed Jane's ass…

Kurt's hands clenched at that reminder. To say that Jane hadn't taken kindly to it would have been an understatement. That fight was the reason that they'd had to move to a bar farther from home.

"Let's hurry," Kurt suggested.

Reed laughed.

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Jane looked at Tasha with a frown. "What do you mean you're giving up on men?"

"You heard me," She said taking another drink, "They don't want strong women, they want someone to cling to their hand and whimper…"

"They do not," Patterson laughed at her.

"They do," Tasha insisted too loudly.

"Shhh," Jane worried seeing the looks they were getting, "We've already had to change where we go for girl's night out."

"Whose fault is that?" Tasha asked her with a smirk.

"I just twisted his arm," Jane protested, "You're the one that broke the chair over his head."

"I kinda think you might have both overreacted," Patterson said with a laugh.

"You should talk," Tasha argued, "At least we took it out on the guy responsible, you were the one that pepper sprayed his friend."

"I was trying to help," Patterson argued.

"Yeah," Jane laughed, "I guess we should be glad you didn't pull your gun."

Tasha joined her amusement.

"Next time see if I help you," Patterson said in a huff.

"You'll help," Tasha denied, "You love us."

As if on cue a voice said over Jane's shoulder, "Ladies."

The ladies shared a look.

"Hello," Patterson greeted the man.

He looked down at Jane, before noticing her ring. Turning to Tasha and Patterson he asked them, "Want some company?"

"Not really," Tasha said bluntly.

Patterson felt a little sorry for him at Tasha's harsh response.

"Thanks anyway," Patterson said with a smile.

Looking down at Jane the man insisted, "What about you?"

"What about her?" Kurt demanded walking up on him.

The man looked a little alarmed at the look on Kurt's face.

"Nothing," He insisted turning away.

Jane looked up in pleasant surprise.

"I thought you were working on clearing some of your paperwork?" She teased him as he pulled a chair over to the too small table and pulled her, chair and all between his legs possessively.

"We didn't want to have to bail any of you out tonight," Kurt told them as Reed and Stewart got their own chairs.

"Spoilsport," Jane teased him, leaning her face up for a kiss.

He obliged her happily.

"You're making it worse," Tasha told Jane bluntly.

"What worse?" Reed asked.

"I'm done with men," Tasha told him.

"The men of the world thank you," Reed said deadpan.

Tasha glared at him.

Stewart laughed at their banter.

"You better hurry if you want to catch up with us," Patterson said taking another healthy swallow.

"What number are we on?" Reed asked placing his order with the waitress.

"Two…no three," Patterson admitted.

When Kurt and Reed shared a knowing glance she asked them, "What?"

"Nothing," Reed denied.

Stewart was watching the team strangely.

"Why are you looking at us like that?" Tasha finally demanded.

"At work you're all so serious," Stewart admitted, "You're a little bit intimidating. It's nice to see you more relaxed."

"They have darts," Patterson told the others.

"That didn't last long," Reed told Stewart.

"What?" He didn't understand.

"You are sitting with the most competitive people I've ever met," Reed explained, "Darts are a luxury we can't afford. We actually had to stop going to a bar that had pool tables because of it."

"Who won?" Stewart smiled.

"Jane had the best hand/eye coordination, but Kurt was more patient. Tasha was more determined, but Patterson was more relaxed. I'm just naturally gifted," Reed explained while the others threw things at him in protest.

"So who won?" Stewart insisted.

"We don't know," Reed admitted, "They asked us to leave before we found out."

"They _asked_ you to leave?" Stewart looked startled.

"We got a little loud and…heated." Reed admitted.

"You got loud and heated," Tasha denied.

"You were the one that renamed us all," Reed reminded her.

"I know…scratchy." She teased him.

"Don't call me that…" Reed growled.

Jane and Tasha laughed at his flushed cheeks.

"So are we playing darts or not?" Patterson demanded.

"You know we are," Tasha said pushing back her chair.

"NO!" Reed protested letting his chin drop down to his chest in defeat.

"You scared?" She demanded provocatively.

Steward stood with her, "I'll play."

Reed just shook his head and muttered, "You'll see."  
Three games later Stewart finally understood Reed's pain.

"That's all you got?" Tasha demanded dancing around him in triumph.

"I don't think you can count that as a win," He denied.

"Bullseyes don't count?" She demanded.

"Not when you get within two feet of the board." Stewart argued.

"Don't be a sore loser," Tasha chided.

"I didn't lose," Stewart insisted.

"Men and their fragile egos," Tasha taunted, "Who's next?"

Kurt and Jane were still at the table. Kurt had his arms around her and she was leaning against his chest. When Tasha looked at them expectantly, he held up his hand and denied, "We're good."

"I'll go," Patterson agreed moving over to join them.

"Why?" Reed demanded in frustration.

"It'll be all good," Patterson assured him, patting his face.

Reed shook his head and waited to mediate. Why had he thought joining them was a good idea?

"Having fun?" Kurt whispered into Jane's ear as he nuzzled her neck, his eyes heavy lidded.

"I can think of a few things I'd rather be doing," Jane admitted, turning her head and meeting his eyes.

"We're gone," Kurt told the others, immediately standing.

Jane laughed up at him before allowing him to pull her up and against his side.

"No," Patterson protested, "It's still early."

"Oh, give it up," Tasha said, "Look at them…they are definitely going to…you know."

"Play uno?" Patterson repeated blankly.

"No," Tasha denied loudly, "YOU KNOW…"

"OH!" Patterson realized, "You know…" she repeated with a smile.

"Everyone knows," Reed tried to shush them.

Jane laughed and leaned against Kurt.

He looked down at her smiling face and his arms tightened around her. He loved everything about her, but happy Jane was a gift he never tired of getting. She'd suffered so much heartache and strife that anytime she was lighthearted he was entranced.

"What?" She looked up at him, her face flushing.

"I love you," He said simply.

"I love you too," She said with a gentle smile.

They left to the sound of Tasha's protest when Patterson won the first game.

Lacing his fingers through hers Kurt acknowledged her detail as they headed for the exit.

"Aren't you going to dismiss them?" Jane asked in surprise.

"Not yet," Kurt denied, "They can drive us home."

"You didn't even finish you're first drink," Jane protested.

"I'm not worried about driving," Kurt denied, "Just want to make sure you get home safely and in one piece."

"You say the sweetest things," Jane whispered into his neck. He shivered at the sensation.

"That's enough of that," Kurt denied.

"You want me to stop?" She asked her nose pressed behind his ear.

"Jane," He groaned pulling her closer when he knew he should be seeking distance.

"You know you like it," She licked him.

He shuttered, groaning in pain.

"How much have you had to drink?" He demanded his hand smoothing over her hip as they walked.

"Not too much," She denied hooking her thumb in his belt.

"I'd say just about exactly enough," Kurt agreed with a rueful smile.

"You like tipsy Jane?" She asked huskily.

"I love every Jane," Kurt admitted, "Tipsy, happy, angry, sad, determined, protective, optimistic, provocative…even missing Jane."

She stopped abruptly and when he looked down at her in concern she reached up, placed her arms around his neck and pulled his head down to her. That kiss made him unsteady.

"Let's go home," He insisted, picking up the pace.

"What's the hurry?" She teased him.

"I was trying to keep you out of trouble," Kurt reminded her, "Public nudity is a crime."

"Aww," She smiled at him, "You say the sweetest thing…"

"You're killing me," He whispered into her hair.

"But you're going to die happy," She promised.

He groaned softly.

Just as they reached the vehicle, Kurt felt an itchy sensation on the back of his neck. He didn't hesitate or worry he might be wrong, even as he tackled her to the ground the sound of the shots echoed in the silence.

"Jane!" He demanded in concern.

She didn't answer right away because she knew something was wrong immediately, but she wanted to assess the situation before she told him.

"Are you hit?" She demanded without reassuring him.

"No," Kurt denied, "You?"

"A little bit," She admitted with a grimace.

"What?" He demanded paling.

"It's nothing," She assured him, knowing the burning in her side was a graze and nothing more serious.

"Where?" He demanded immediately as he moved to the side to asses her injury.

"Stay down," She worried as her detail began to chase the subject.

"Answer me," Kurt said desperately.

"It grazed my side," Jane admitted and Kurt immediately lifted her shirt to study the wound.

"Jane," He pressed his hand over it to stop the bleeding.

"I'm fine," She insisted, "How did you know?"

"Instinct," Kurt admitted.

"I'm glad you decided to join us," Jane admitted.

"Me too," Kurt agreed watching as their team left the bar, guns drawn after hearing the shots.

"Are you both okay?" Reed demanded kneeling down next to where they lay on the sidewalk.

"Jane's been grazed," Kurt admitted.

"I'll get an ambulance," Patterson reached for her phone.

"No," Jane denied, "One of you drive us,"

"I'll drive," Stewart offered, "I never finished my drink."

"I'll stay here," Reed offered, "Take charge of the scene."

"I'm with you," Tasha assured him.

"I'm with them," Patterson held open the door and Kurt lifted Jane into the back of the car before following her inside.

"Be careful," She told Reed and Tasha.

"Keep us informed," Tasha told her.

Jane tiredly leaned against Kurt as Stewart headed toward the hospital.

"You okay?" Kurt demanded.

"I'm fine," Jane assured him, "You know I've had worse than this."

He did, but that didn't make it any easier. Looking down at where she lay against his chest, Kurt kissed her forehead and steadied her on his lap, more determined than ever to get his hands on the person trying to kill his wife…


	16. Chapter 16

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters….

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"He got away," Reed told Kurt moving into the apartment, Tasha following on his heels.

"How's Jane?" Tasha worried.

"She's okay," Kurt assured him, "They gave her some pain meds and she's sleeping."

They walked over to join Patterson and Stewart sitting at the dining table.

"We have to do something," Patterson worried, "Eventually he's going to kill her…"

" _No,_ he's not," Kurt insisted.

"Kurt," Tasha argued, "We can't watch everywhere…all the time."

"So what?" Reed argued, "We tell her she can never go out again?"

"It's better than planning her funeral." Stewart insisted.

"Look," Kurt said in frustration, "I would like nothing better than to tell Jane that she is under house arrest until we catch whoever's trying to kill her, but being confined like that…after everything she's gone through, will destroy her."

"Then what do we do?" Stewart worried.

"We need to keep looking for Cade," Kurt told Patterson, "But expand the search for alternative suspects. We have dates when the attempts were made and multiple locations. We need to search for any correlation between those locations. Someone was there and we need to find them."

"I can do that," Patterson agreed.

"We also need to look for someone that is a trained snipper," Reed insisted, "You can't just pick up a gun and make these shots."

"He might not be trained," Tasha insisted, "He hasn't been able to kill her yet…"

"That's it!" Patterson insisted, "We need to check military records for people who washed out of snipper training. They know enough to make the shot, but they aren't good enough to be completely accurate."

"If it's someone with Sandstorm training," Stewart argued, "There won't be any records."

"It won't be Sandstorm," Reed argued, "Sheppard didn't strike me as the type to be understanding. If they didn't make it with her, then they're probably already dead."

Nobody could argue with that logic.

Suddenly there was the sound of a rifle…two shots in rapid succession.

Kurt was on his feet immediately as he and the others burst into the room he saw that the bed was empty.

"Jane!" He called checking the floor.

Suddenly the balcony door opened. Jane walked in carrying a gun.

"What's going on?" Kurt demanded rushing to her side.

"Gunman's across the street on the roof." Jane told them, "He's down, but not dead. It's Cade and we need to get over there before he gets away."

Stewart looked at her in shock. He'd known that Jane was the ultimate super soldier, but he'd never seen her in action before. Her graze was bleeding again, but she paid it no attention.

Reed, Weller and Tasha ran for the door, while Patterson took the rifle from her before pushing her back down on the bed.

Stewart walked over and looked out at the balcony. The roof across the street was higher than the balcony. It would have been a mathematically tricky shot and she'd hit him…

"Where did you hit him?" Patterson worried.

"Left leg…right shoulder." Jane told her.

"Twice," Stewart muttered to himself.

"What?" Patterson asked him.

"She hit him twice…"Stewart repeated.

"So?" Patterson didn't understand the point.

"That's a hard shot," Stewart pointed out.

"It's Jane," Patterson reminded him.

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Kurt, Reed and Zapata used their badges to gain access to the building across the street. They left Tasha on the ground floor while Reed took the steps and Kurt the elevator. Cade was not getting away.

Once he was on the roof, Kurt moved to where Cade had been hit. Keeping cover he looked at the ground and saw the evidence that Jane had hit her mark. The drops led him right to him. He'd tried to conceal himself inside an air conditioning cabinet, but Kurt pulled the cabinet open to find an unconscious Cade inside. He'd wrapped a belt around his leg, but he was losing too much blood. Kurt looked down at the unconscious man and abruptly wished that he'd taken longer.

Dragging him out of the cabinet, Kurt let him fall to the ground without making any move to assist him. For a man that believed absolutely in right and wrong, it was a moment of ethical indecision. He wanted to kill him, barring that he wanted to watch him die.

He looked over in the direction of their apartment and could see the light in their bedroom shining. It became a beacon that led him out of the darkness of his thoughts. He was not giving up any part of their life to Cade, not for something a petty as the need for revenge. He was stronger than that, Jane hadn't killed him and he knew she could have easily, so he could no less than that.

Bending down he reached for his phone and called for medical assistance. Reed joined him on the roof and Tasha and the paramedics soon followed.

Kurt watched Cade being taken away impassively. It was out of his hands, whether he lived or died and he was relieved. He had a preference, but it wouldn't be his choice.

"We'll go with him to the hospital," Reed offered, "Go home."

Kurt looked back over to the light…that was the best suggestion he'd heard all day.

"Thank you," He told Reed.

Tasha and Reed watched him go with understanding sympathy.

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Jane watched as Patterson replaced her bloody bandage.

"Thanks," She told her once it was done.

"The last thing Kurt needs is to come home and find you bleeding." Patterson said seriously.

"You need anything?" Stewart called from the other room.

"You can come back in," Jane called back to him.

"How did you know he'd be over there?" Stewart asked her seriously.

"It's what I would have done," Jane admitted.

His eyes got big at that admission.

"What's taking them so long?" Jane worried to Patterson.

"They're fine," Patterson insisted.

Jane went to stand, "I should have gone with them," She worried.

"They've got this," Patterson said placing a hand on her shoulder to keep her from getting up.

"Cade's one of the best…" Jane worried.

"So is Weller," Patterson reminded her.

"Kurt does the right thing…always," Jane worried, "Cade doesn't care about right or wrong."

Kurt stood in the doorway and listened to Jane's comment and realized that she never doubted him. She expected him to do the right thing, without question. He wondered how she'd feel if she realized just how close he'd come to crossing a line he could never go back from?

"We got him," He told them.

Jane looked up at him in relief.

"I was worried about you," She told him with a smile.

The relief she felt wasn't because they'd apprehended the man trying to kill her, it was that he was safe…

"Where are Reed and Tasha?" Patterson asked.

"They went with the paramedics to make sure Cade stayed in custody." Kurt explained.

Looking over at the clock Patterson saw that it was close to 3 AM.

"Well," She yawned, "I'm heading home."

"I'll drive you," Stewart offered immediately.

Kurt followed after them and made sure the apartment was secure before heading back to Jane.

She was sitting back against the pillows and he looked to see that her bandage had been changed.

Climbing on the bed he crowded close and rested his hand on her stomach.

"I should have suspected something when you agreed to sleep," He told her quietly.

"I didn't want you to worry," Jane admitted.

"If you had line of sight…so did he," Kurt reminded her.

"No," She denied, "I was watching for him to arrive."

"What if he'd already been out there before we got home?" Kurt asked her seriously.

"It was worth the risk," Jane finally argued.

When he got quiet, Jane worried, "Kurt…"

"I thought about letting him die," Kurt admitted meeting her troubled eyes.

"You wouldn't do that," Jane protested with certainty.

"I wanted to," He insisted.

"But you didn't," Jane reminded him.

"He almost took you from me…multiple times." Kurt explained.

"Kurt," Jane moved closer to him and maneuvered his head against her chest. Her hand running through his hair soothingly, "You're the best man I've ever known, but you're human. Wanting him dead isn't killing him."

Kurt closed his eyes at her reassurance.

They lay like that for a little while and Jane's hands slowed until they simply rested on the back of his head. Kurt lifted up gently and looked down into the face of his sleeping wife with a tender smile. She was such a contradiction. So fierce and yet so loving. Heading to the bathroom he got ready for bed, looking down into the trash can he saw the bloody bandage Patterson had changed for her and his fist clenched. He knew she thought he was beyond stepping over the line, but he was under no illusions. Jane was his world and if anything ever happened to her…the man that she knew, the man that she loved would die with her, one way or the other. His body might go on, but he would never be the same man and whoever took her from him would pay, no matter what he had to do.

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"Cade made it through the surgery," Hirst told Kurt the next morning.

"We need guards on him," Kurt insisted, "Once he becomes conscious he's a flight risk."

"He lost a lot of blood," Hirst protested, "He's not going anywhere."

"We need guards," Kurt insisted with a frown, "Sheppard was able to instill a deep well of determination in her operatives. Once he's awake, he's going to be trying to escape."

"Fine," She agreed, "How's Jane?"

"Better than she should be," Kurt admitted, "I told her to take it easy today and left her detail in place."

"If you caught Cade…" Hirst said in surprised, "Why does she still need the detail?"

"Roman's still out there," Kurt reminded her, "And the two million dollar bounty is still on her head."

"She's a strong woman," Hirst smiled at Kurt, "I didn't know she had sniper training."

"I don't think any of us will know all she's capable of," Kurt admitted.

"Not even you?" Hirst asked in surprise.

"Not even her," Kurt insisted.

"I wonder what she was like before they erased her memory," Hirst said in a considering voice.

Kurt didn't answer her, but he and Jane both thought that her getting zipped was the best thing that ever happened to her. It brought them together and neither one of them would ever want to change that.

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Jane came awake slowly. Kurt had left a couple of hours ago and to her surprise she'd gone back to sleep.

Turning over she started when she realized that she wasn't alone.

"He almost got you," Roman said from where he sat on the side of the bed.

Jane struggled to sit up.

He reached for her and settled her on the pillow.

"How'd you get in here?" Jane worried. She briefly wondered if she needed to check on her detail.

"Don't worry," Roman assured her, "I came down from the roof and through the balcony."

"Why?" Jane finally asked the question she hadn't in all those months he'd been holding her.

"You're my sister," He said simply.

"That didn't stop you from trying to kill me yourself," Jane reminded him, "What's changed?"

"I wasn't trying to kill you before," He denied, "You know better than that. I was angry and wanted to make you pay. If I'd wanted to kill you I would have simply shot you, not tried to knife you."

"So what?" Jane demanded, "Now we're all good?"

"I doubt either one of us could ever claim to be _all_ good," He denied.

"What's going on?" She demanded in frustration.

"It took me a while to get back here," Roman admitted, "Too, long. I almost lost you to Cade. I guess I have Weller to thank for you being here."

"You do," Jane agreed.

"You're all the family I have left," Roman told her, "That matters to me."

Jane read the sincerity on his face and hesitantly reached for his hand.

Seeing that the compassion that she'd always had was still in her, Roman pulled her against him and closed his eyes in relief.

Jane was stiff, but hesitantly her arm came around him and she closed her eyes.

"I've missed you," Roman admitted quietly.

"You know you're still important to me," Jane said just as quietly.

"Just not necessary," Roman told her.

"Roman…" Jane protested.

"It's okay," He assured her, "I just wanted to let you know I was back and I'm going to be watching out for you."

"Let me bring you in," Jane pleaded.

"No way," Roman denied, standing.

"You're going to end up getting killed," Jane argued.

"I'd rather die than enjoy super max for the rest of my life," Roman said heading toward the balcony door.

"Will I see you again?" Jane demanded standing.

"I'll be around," Roman assured her.

"Be careful," She told him as he stopped at the door and turned to look at her.

"Always," He said before he was gone.

Jane sank down on the side of the bed weakly. Even after everything that happened, she still loved him. How was this ever going to work out?


	17. Chapter 17

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters….

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Kurt entered the hospital room and stopped at the sight of Cade hooked up to the monitors.

Cade turned to look at him silently.

"You know you're going down for attempted murder," Kurt told him bluntly, "I'm here to get you to call off the bounty on Jane."

Cade actually laughed at that.

"I don't see anything about your situation that's funny," Kurt wanted to do him serious bodily harm.

"You think that I put the hit out?" Cade shook his head, "Where would I get two million dollars?"

"You want me to believe you had nothing to do with it?" Kurt demanded.

"I wanted to collect it," Cade admitted.

"We gave you a second chance," Kurt said furiously, "And you threw it away for what…revenge?"

"You think that I can watch Remi live happily ever after with her FBI husband when she ruined my life and killed Marcos?" Cade demanded.

"She didn't kill Marcos," Kurt all but yelled at him, "You know Oscar did that to keep Marcos from warning Jane what they were doing."

"That's just semantics," Cade scoffed, "She might as well have killed him herself."

"So if you didn't put out the bounty," Kurt demanded, "Who did?"

"Why would I care?" Cade asked bluntly.

Kurt could see that he meant what he said. If Cade hadn't put out the hit, then he couldn't call it off. That meant that Jane wasn't safe at all. Turning on his heel Kurt headed for the door with a determined step. He might have found the man attempting to kill his wife, but with the two million still on her head, he knew there would be others.

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"How'd it go with Cade?" Patterson asked Kurt when he came in the lab.

"He admitted to attempting to collect the bounty, but he wasn't the one that placed it." Kurt explained.

"Well…that's very not good," Patterson said with a frown.

"Have you got anything for me?" Kurt asked her.

"I started cross referencing the places where we know someone's made an attempt on Jane, but none of those places have any leads on the same person. Either multiple people have been attempting to eliminate Jane, or the person responsible is very good."

"So what now?" Kurt demanded.

"We need to follow the money," Patterson insisted.

"The only way to do that," Kurt denied, "Is for it to be paid out."

"Exactly." Patterson agreed.

"So we just let Jane get killed and we catch the guy. Seems a little extreme," Tasha said from where she was sitting.

"We make them think she's been killed," Patterson denied, "Then we follow the money."

"So we set up a fake hit?" Reed asked impressed.

"So who do we get to do it?" Tasha worried.

"I know just the man," Kurt admitted.

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"You want me to do WHAT?" Rich demanded when Kurt explained why he was there.

"Jane has a hit out on her," Kurt explained, "I need you to collect the two million dollars."

"Two million dollars," Rich said thoughtfully.

"Focus Rich," Kurt insisted.

"I'm just saying, she's worth much more than that." Rich argued.

"I'm not trying to negotiate the price," Kurt said in frustration, "I'm trying to find someone believable to collect."

"You know I'm in love with your wife…right?" Rich demanded bluntly.

"I don't want you to actually kill her," Kurt said in exasperation.

"Did Jane ask for my help?" Rich liked that idea.

"No Rich," Kurt denied, "I'm asking."

"That's almost as good," Rich agreed with a bestowed look at Kurt.

"So," Kurt rubbed his neck uncomfortably, "Will you help us out or not?"

"I'll do Jane any time you want," Rich agreed with an excited smile, "You can assure her of that."

"Rich," Weller warned him.

"You know what I mean," Rich teased him.

Kurt knew exactly what he meant…but he still needed his help.

"Aren't you going to tell me what it's going to cost me?" Kurt asked him.

Rich got serious, "This one's on the house."

"Why?" Kurt asked him.

"Nobody targets my favorite lady." Rich said with a frown.

Kurt stood up, "Then let's go…"

"I knew you missed me," Rich accused him.

Kurt just shook his head.

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Jane pushed open the door to the lab and entered.

"Jane!" Patterson said in surprised, "I didn't know you'd come in this morning."

"I just got here," Jane denied.

Since it was just after noon Patterson worried, "Does Kurt know you're here?"

"No," Jane denied, "My detail brought me in."

"We better call him," Tasha said from the computer terminal she was staring at.

"What's going on?" Jane demanded.

"Cade was attempting to collect on the bounty," Patterson explained, "But he didn't place it."

"So it's not over?" Jane verified.

"Unless we can get them to think you're already dead," Tasha explained.

"How will that help us find who's doing this?" Jane asked.

"We're going to follow the money," Patterson explained.

"Which means I have to die…" Jane realized.

"Not for long," Patterson insisted.

"Well that's a relief," Jane said in dryly.

"Who's supposed to kill me?" Jane demanded.

"Jane," Kurt said as he pushed open the door, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming in?"

"Why wouldn't I come in?" Jane asked in confusion.

"You were just wounded yesterday," Kurt reminded her, crowding in close, needing the contact.

"I'm fine," Jane insisted.

"You certainly are," Rich agreed moving over to her side and leaning in to kiss her cheek.

Jane looked up at Rich in resignation, before turning back to Kurt.

"Rich is supposed to kill me?" Jane demanded.

"He's a criminal," Kurt reminded her, "Why would anyone doubt him?"

"There's just a little problem," Jane warned him.

"What?" Kurt worried, his hands settling on her hips.

"Roman," Jane told him.

"Who's Roman?" Rich asked with a suspicious glare, "You cheating on us?"

"Roman is Jane's brother," Kurt explained impatiently, "What about him?"

"He came to see me this morning," Jane explained.

"You have a brother?" Rich sounded delighted.

"Where?" Kurt demanded ignoring Rich.

"He was in our apartment sitting next to the bed when I woke up." Jane told Kurt.

"Creepy," Rich said rubbing his hands together, "When can I meet him?"

"How'd he get in?" Kurt asked with his heart racing.

"He came down from the roof and through the balcony." Jane explained.

"Does he look like you?" Rich insisted when they continued to ignore him.

"Guess you'll have to tell me after he tries to kill you," Jane finally turned her attention back to him.

"Whoa, hold your horses," Rich protested, "Why would he be trying to kill me?"

"He said he was going to watch out for me," Jane explained looking at Kurt, "If Rich tries to kill me…he might not live through the experience."

"We might have to renegotiate," Rich told Kurt with a frown.

Kurt wasn't listening. All he could think was if Roman could get to Jane, then an assassin could as well. He'd thought she was safe and he'd been proven wrong. It scared him.

"Can't you just call and warn him?" Rich demanded.

"We've had a…tremulous relationship." Jane explained.

"Then maybe he should be the one to kill you," Rich suggested.

"I don't trust him," Kurt denied with a clenched jaw.

"You trust me more than you do Jane's brother?" Rich looked delighted.

"Rich," Jane insisted, "You're losing the bigger picture."

"Right…right. So how do I kill Jane and still get to live?" Rich demanded.

"We need to let Roman know what's going on," Patterson insisted.

"How?" Tasha demanded, "He's been a ghost for over two years. If we knew how to find him, we would have already."

"I don't know," Patterson admitted, "But the longer we wait to put the plan into motion, the greater the chance is that someone will actually take a real shot a Jane."

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Patterson knew that this was her chance to do something for Jane. She needed to find Roman, the sooner the better.

She looked over at the technology that surrounded her and knew it was useless. He wouldn't be found that way. She knew he was watching out for Jane…so it stood to reason that was the way to reach him. He wouldn't risk trailing her all the time, so he must have some way to track her.

"Jane," Patterson called her over.

"What's up?" Jane asked her.

"I want to do a scan of you," Patterson explained.

"Why?" Jane worried.

"I have a theory," Patterson hedged.

"Do I have to get naked?" Jane asked with a frown over at where Rich was within sight.

"No," Patterson hastily assured her, "In fact, I want you to go in exactly like you are."

Jane gave her a strange look, before allowing her to shuffle her into the equipment room.

It only took Patterson ten minutes to find the chip hidden in the skin underneath Jane's arm.

"What is that?" Jane worried, when Patterson made a small incision and removed it.

"I'm not sure," Patterson lied.

"Should we get Kurt?" She worried.

"Let me analyze it first," Patterson insisted, "Then I'll call him."

Jane looked at her silently before reluctantly agreeing.

The second she was alone, Patterson didn't hesitate, she placed the tracker inside a plastic bag, grabbed her purse and left the NYO.

If Roman was watching, and Patterson was sure he was, then he would realize immediately that Jane was no longer with his tracking device.

She left the building, but didn't look around. Moving to the coffee shop three blocks over she ordered two coffees, one for her and one for Roman. Then she waited.

She'd about thought it wasn't going to work when the chair across from her was pulled out and her target joined her.

"Patterson," He acknowledged, picking up his coffee and drinking.

"Roman," She greeted nervously.

"Want to tell me what this is all about?" He finally said in the silence.

"We caught Cade," Patterson told him, "He didn't place the hit on Jane."

"I know that," Roman agreed.

"We need to get the bounty off her head," Patterson insisted.

"How do you propose to do that?" Roman asked casually.

"We're going to follow the money," She told him.

"Implying that it has to be paid," He said calmly.

"Exactly," Patterson agreed, "But in order to do that, we need it to appear to be a successful hit. We can't have you interfering."

"Afraid I might kill the gunman?" Roman said with a smile.

"Jane knew you would." Patterson agreed.

Roman didn't say anything, but he felt a twinge in his chest when he realized that his sister not only had faith in his abilities, but trust in his promise to protect her.

"No way Weller sent you out here on your own," Roman looked around casually.

"He doesn't know I'm here," Patterson agreed, "Nobody does."  
"Why are you here?" Roman finally asked bluntly.

"I owe Jane," Patterson admitted, "She didn't want to lie to you about being the one that zipped you, but I was missing and she was afraid you would be too mad to help us find me…she lied to you to save me. She loves you so much, you were all she really had…and she lost you to help me."

Roman had to look away from her at this disclosure. Now he had all the pieces, now he finally understood.

"I'm not going to hurt her," Roman assured her finally.

"It's not even about that," Patterson denied, "She loves you and she deserves to have you in her life. I want to help you."

"You love you job," Roman reminded her, "Helping the enemy…could cost you the thing you love the most."

"Jane's part of my family," Patterson insisted, "and you're her brother…so you are too. I won't turn my back on family."

Roman looked at her seriously, he finally asked her, "You have a pen?"

She quickly provided him one.

He wrote down his phone number for her.

"I'm trusting you Patterson," He told her passing her the number, "Don't let me down."

"You won't regret it," She promised him.

Looking at her earnest express, Roman didn't think he would.

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"You did what?" Kurt demanded.

"Roman had placed a tracking device in Jane's arm," Patterson explained, "One I removed it, I took it outside the NYO and waited. Roman came and I warned him about the hit."

"Why didn't you come to me?" Kurt demanded, "We could have brought Roman in."

"I didn't want to bring him in," Patterson finally admitted.

"Why not?" Kurt demanded, "He kept Jane locked up for months…let us believe that she was dead."

"He was just trying to protect her." Patterson argued.

Jane listened to this exchange silently, watching Patterson's face.

"What's going on?" Kurt finally demanded.

"Jane lost Roman trying to get me back from Sheppard," Patterson reminded Kurt, "I owed her this."

Jane closed her eyes at that assertion.

"Roman made his choices," Jane told Patterson, "Just as I did. You had nothing to do with it."

"You lied to him so that he would help you find me," Patterson argued, "That lie was the reason he went with Sheppard."

Jane shook her head in denial.

"What else did he say?" Kurt demanded.

"Nothing," Patterson lied without compulsion, "We're good to proceed with the plan."

Sharing a look with Jane, Kurt looked back at Patterson, "You need to be more careful…but good job."

Patterson felt some of the tension leave her once she realized he was accepting her decision, even though he obviously didn't agree with it.

Jane walked over to Patterson and hugged her from behind, "Thanks."

Patterson clutched the arm around her fiercely, some of the guilt she felt dissipating.

"Now we just need to set up the hit on you," Kurt said looking over at Jane seriously.

"That's what every woman wants to hear her husband say," Jane teased him.

He just shook his head that she could in any way joke about this.

Jane looked down at Patterson and they shared laughter. Messing with Kurt was one of their favorite past times.

He just watched the two of them affectionately. It was a challenge keeping these women safe, they were fierce and determined, but he would keep valiantly trying. Even when they obviously didn't think they needed his assistance. Even, he had admitted to himself, when they were right.


	18. Chapter 18

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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Kurt lay in bed, Jane held tightly against him. He was surprised he didn't wake her, his arms were so tight. He knew she was tired, because he'd reached for her throughout the night, so maybe that explained it.

Today was the day that Rich was supposed to kill Jane. He knew it was all planned out, but it needed to look real and that was the problem. He would have to watch her die today and he knew that memory would haunt him.

Jane had tried to talk him out of going with her, but he'd been adamant. He knew it was going to be difficult to see, but he couldn't imagine not being on hand to make sure everything went as planned. Patterson had even supplied Jane with a pill that she could bite and slow her heart and respiration. Kurt had argued against that to no avail. She promised him she wouldn't use it unless it became imperative so he'd relented.

Kurt hadn't been able to sleep, he was too nervous.

"Kurt?" Jane mumbled sleepily.

He abruptly realized he was practically crushing her and immediately loosened his arms.

"Sorry," He whispered his lips finding her forehead.

"You okay?" She worried opening her eyes to study him in the early morning light.

"I'll feel better when it's done," Kurt admitted.

She leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on his chest, right over his heart, "I don't think you should be there."

"I'm going," Kurt would not be swayed.

"Did you sleep at all?" Jane finally demanded getting a good look at him.

"No," He admitted.

"That is not okay," She scolded him, rolling on top of him.

His hands feathered down her back to rest on her hips.

"If you think this is going to help me sleep…" Kurt warned her, "I have little hope of this technique working."

"It's too late to sleep," Jane denied, knowing he would continue to worry until it was over. The only way she knew to get his mind off what was coming was to help him not think at all.

"Wow," Kurt laughed, "A pep talk too."

"I can make it up to you," Jane assured him, her lips trailing down his chest.

Kurt had thought he was tense before, but it was nothing compared to what she was doing to him now.

By the time they got out of bed, Kurt was still worried, but the smile that Jane shot over her shoulder on the way into the bathroom had burned into his memory to carry him though the very difficult day.

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Jane watched Kurt checked the fastenings on her bullet proof vest for the third time.

"He's not using real bullets," Jane reminded him gently.

"I know," Kurt assured her, his attention on his task.

"Patterson has set the paint charges to coincide with sound of the gun. It will be seamless." Jane assured him.

At that reminder he rubbed his face in agitation.

"It's going to look real," Jane warned him.

He knew that. That was one of the problems.

Rich walked in and looked at the two of them.

"This sucks," He told them bluntly.

Jane looked over at him in exasperation.

"It's going to be fine," She told him her voice broke no argument.

"Oh sure," Rich scoffed at her, "You just have to die, I have to kill you."

It was Kurt's turn to look at him in exasperation.

"Calm down," Jane tried to reassure Rich, "You just have to point the gun, shoot and then run."

"I'm not a great runner," Rich argued.

"I'm not going to chase you," Kurt reminded him.

"I'm just saying," Rich told them.

"Let's get this over with," Jane finally interrupted. She hadn't been nervous, but with every worried glance and halting protest she'd begun to feel their anxiety.

Kurt watched her put on her shirt and jacket over the vest. Once she was done, you couldn't tell she was even wearing it.

"I'm ready," She told them.

"Let's go," Kurt agreed.

Kurt and Jane waited for Rich to get into place, once they got the all clear they moved over to the elevator. They planned to do this in the parking structure of the NYO. This way it would be a controlled environment.

"We're ready," Patterson said over the com.

Kurt reached for Jane's hand and held on tightly as he pushed the button for the elevator. She squeezed his hand in reassurance looking up at him with a little smile. He couldn't resist closing the space between them and gently saluting her lips. Even as the kiss ended he kept his eyes closed and his face against hers. Her hand came up to rest on his cheek.

"I love you," He told her opening his eyes too look down into hers.

"I love you, too," Jane told him.

The elevator doors opened and that step out was the most difficult of his life.

Everything was going as planned. Rich was walking toward them with his head down, when it happened.

Jane was lifted off her feet as her body flew backwards at the impact.

Kurt felt her hand rip away from his in disbelief.

Turing he saw the blood that immediately began to pool on the front of her shirt. Her pain filled eyes met his even as she struggled to draw in air.

He flew to her side and covered her chest and torso with his own. "Jane!" He called his voice breaking.

Looking over at Rich, he saw the Dark Web Hacker frozen, the gun he'd been given not even out of his pocket yet.

The world around him slowed to a crawl as his frantic gaze looked down at Jane. With a trembling hand he reached up and felt for her pulse. There was none.

The sound of a car broke the silence and the screeching tires stopped within feet of where Kurt knelt.

Four men jumped out of the car and rushed them. Kurt rose to meet the threat and Rich dropped the pretense and joined him. They fought them and were holding their own until one of them hit Rich on the back of the head. Once he fell, Kurt was overrun.

One of the men ran over to lean over Jane. He took a picture of her with his phone before throwing down a duffle bag. He began to stuff her inside. Kurt grabbed one of them by the neck and twisted. The loud snap preceded him falling to the floor.

Suddenly Roman was there.

"Is she dead?" Roman demanded taking out another one of their assailants.

"I don't know," Kurt was forced to admit.

Suddenly the man that had been stuffing Jane's body into the bag turned toward them. He lifted up a tranquilizer gun and shot first Kurt and then Roman.

The both fell within moments.

"What do we do?" The only other living assailant demanded.

"Let's take them all, we can't leave witnesses."

Within moments Jane in the bag and the two dead co-conspirators had been loaded in the trunk. Kurt and Roman were placed in the back seat.

Rich watched the car peal out of the garage. He realized that he'd been overlooked.

He heard running feet and looked over to see Reed and Tasha barreling down on him.

"What happened?" Tasha demanded.

"Someone shot Jane before I could," Rich said with a shaking voice.

"What?" Reed asked.

"Did they hit her?" Tasha worried.

"I don't know," Rich admitted, "She had blood all over her, but maybe it was what Patterson did…"

"Where's Kurt?" Reed worried.

"He and another agent tried to fight them off, but they were shot with a dart and taken."

"What other agent?" Tasha didn't know of anyone else involved in this op.

"The guy with the beard," Roman described him.

"That's Roman," Reed said to Tasha.

"He must have realized things had gone wrong."

Checking the scene Tasha pulled on gloves and bent down to pick up a smashed cell phone.

"That's Kurt's," Reed recognized the case immediately.

"Wonderful," Tasha dropped her head, "Now we have no way to track them."

"What about Jane's phone?" Reed asked.

"She didn't want it to get damaged," Tasha explained, "She left it in her locker."

Patterson arrived running.

"What happened?" She said breathlessly.

Tasha gave her the short version, "We have no way to track them with both Kurt and Jane's phones here."

Patterson got a look on her face before turning and racing away, "I think I know a way…"

They watched her go with a puzzled frown.

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Roman opened his eyes and tried to focus on the room. Everything was blurry and he struggled to make sense of his surroundings. When he looked over her saw Kurt sitting on the floor in a cell across the room.

"What happened?" Roman asked him sitting up.

"Jane was shot and we were darted," Kurt said in a flat voice.

Just that quickly everything came back into focus.

"Where's Jane?" Roman demanded.

"I don't know," Kurt told him, still not looking up.

"When I asked if she was dead," Roman accused him, "You said you didn't know."

"She was shot and I couldn't find a pulse," Kurt admitted, "But I don't know."

"Unfortunately," A voice said from the door, "She didn't make it."

Kurt stiffed before looking up.

"Why are you doing this?" Roman demanded.

"The money," The man laughed.

"Two million dollars divided by all of you isn't worth what this is going to bring down on your head," Roman warned him.

"I'm not splitting the money," The man laughed, "I just let them bring the body to me so that I had proof. Thanks for killing the other two, saved me some time."

"Why are we still alive?" Kurt demanded.

"Wasn't my idea," The man denied, "But as you pointed out…two million dollars isn't really that much. I might be able to get a payment for returning the Assistant Director of the New York Office of the FBI."

Kurt looked up at the man and all the hatred he felt filled his face.

"Sorry about the little woman," The man said insincerely.

"I'm going to kill you," Kurt had never meant anything more.

"Did you get the payment?" Roman asked him, trying to distract him from Kurt.

"What do you care?" The man asked him.

"The bounty was bogus," Roman told him, "You just brought a world of hurt down on you for free."

"Good try," The man scoffed, "I've already been paid. I know who he is…but who are you?"

"Someone you really don't want to mess with," Roman warned him, "You should probably just let me go."

"Not likely," The man denied, "But if you have no financial value, I can simply dispense with you right now."

"He's the new Director of the NSA." Kurt lied.

"Impressive," The man looked over at Roman with a smile, "Guess you get to live too."

Roman looked over at Kurt with a frown.

"What did you do with Jane?" Kurt forced himself to ask. If she'd taken the pill that Patterson gave her and he'd dumped her in the river, she could very well be dead.

"I put her in the freezer with my associates," The man explained, "I do so hate the smell or rotting flesh."

Kurt didn't say anything. He couldn't even trust himself to speak. He didn't know how long they'd been unconscious, but if Jane been in the freezer for any length of time…

The man turned toward the doorway, "Don't worry, I'll either get payment or you'll get dead. Whichever way it works out, it won't be long."

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Jane woke up to find that she was freezing. Groaning at the pain in her chest, she reached for the zipper on the duffel bag. How many times was she doomed to wake up like this? Pulling at the zipper she slowly opened it. The bodies of four men lay before her. She quickly looked around and was relieved to see that Kurt and Rich were not among them.

Rubbing her hands to warm them, she went over to the first body and began to search him. His gun was still in its holster under his arm. She pulled it out in satisfaction. A quick search of the other men garnished one more gun and an impressive knife. Moving over to the door she cautiously looked out the window in the door and could see nobody standing guard.

She slipped from the freezer and quickly made her way to the shadows. She needed a moment to get her bearings and warm up before she tried to figure out exactly where she was.

Sitting in the dark she began to worry about Kurt. She knew he would never have allowed to take her had he be physically able to stop it. That could only mean that something must have happened to him…She felt her stomach clench at that realization. What if she was dead? The thought came unbidden, but once she allowed it in, it consumed her.

Blinking back tears she forced herself to focus. She didn't know what happened and sitting here imagining the worse wasn't going to change that. She needed to act. She also needed to believe that Kurt was safe or she wouldn't be able to do what had to be done. The years of brutal training came to her aid. Closing off her mind to what ifs and worst cases, she focused on the now. Seeing Kurt again depended on what she did now. Until she knew otherwise, she was working to get back to Kurt, it was the best motivation she'd ever had.

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"I know where they were taken," Patterson told the team.

"How?" Tasha demanded.

"I traced Roman's phone."

"How'd you get his number?" Reed demanded.

"He gave it to me." Patterson admitted.

"Okay," Tasha looked at her with a frown, "That's a discussion for later. Where are they?"

"There's a restaurant in the Bronx, the phone last pinged there before it went off line."

"Let's go," Reed told the team he'd put together.

Watching them leave, Patterson looked over at Stuart with a worried frown.

"What?" He demanded, knowing something was wrong.

"The transfer was made for the hit," She admitted.

His face fell, "Why didn't you tell them?"

"We won't know for sure until they can verify it themselves."

"You think she's dead?" Stewart demanded.

He knew the answer by the look on her face.

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"You love her," Roman said looking at Kurt as he paced the cell looking desperately for a way out.

"Of course I love her," Kurt told him impatiently.

"If you loved her," Roman demanded, "How could you have sent her to the CIA?"

"I didn't send her, they took her," Kurt denied.

"You didn't look for her," Roman accused him.

"I looked," Kurt denied, "Patterson looked. We couldn't find her."

"I loved her too," Roman told him, watching him dispassionately search for escape.

"Then help me find a way out of here so that we can verify if she's really dead," Kurt pleaded in frustration.

"He said she's dead," Roman reminded him standing.

"I won't believe it until I see her…" Kurt denied with a catch in his voice.

"When she chose you and erased my memory…I hated her and I hated you." Roman admitted beginning his own search.

"Look, I know it was hard when she decided to zip you…it was hard for her too. She knew what you were going through, but she didn't know how else to get through to you. Being zipped was the best thing that ever happened to her." Kurt insisted.

Roman stopped and looked through the bars of the cell at Kurt, "You think that getting zipped was the best thing that ever happened to her?"

"It gave her a chance to start over," Kurt told him, "The same chance she tried to give to you."

"So you…what?" Roman asked him, "You think that Jane was this terrible person before?"

"She knows she was a part of Orion," Kurt told him, "And she was a part of Sandstorm, but none of that matters to me. I love her for who she is."

"Who she is…now," Roman qualified.

"No," Kurt denied, "Nothing she has ever done could change how I feel about her."

Roman actually laughed. "You've got this all figured out."

"If you have something to say," Kurt said impatiently. "Just say it."

"Jane wasn't a part of Orion," Roman denied, "She'd gone undercover to expose their corruption and when they found out about it, they tried to kill her."

"What?" Kurt looked at him in shock.

"Jane is not some new better version of herself," Roman denied. "She's always been exactly the same. She would die to save an innocent and she would kill to save the people she loves."

"What about Sandstorm?" Kurt's head was spinning.

"Sheppard went a little crazy when she found out Jane was dead." Roman admitted, "I did too. We knew that some high government official had to have been the one to expose Remi's cover so we began to try and find out who it was. What we found was corruption at the highest levels. It wasn't one person, or even one agency, corruption was everywhere. I am not too proud to admit when I found out what they'd done to Remi, I changed. I wanted revenge, justice and I didn't care who I had to kill to get it. I guess you find that pretty hard to understand."

Kurt understood that all too well. If something happened to Jane, he knew the Kurt that remained would never be the same man.

"I do understand," Kurt admitted.

"Sheppard became obsessed, determined to right every wrong, no matter what the cost. When Remi came back…" Roman trailed off, "It was like a miracle. Things had changed though, she wasn't the Remi that left and I wasn't the Roman that watched her go. Her entire focus became trying to control Sheppard's incessant need for revenge, but Sheppard realized what she was trying to do and that's when she came up with the idea to erase her memory. I encouraged Jane to go along with it, because I knew at that point it was either loose her memories or have Sheppard kill her outright."

"So all of this just snowballed out of control?" Kurt demanded.

"No," Roman denied, "Once I had Remi back, I was determined never to lose her again. That's when I crossed the line. I didn't want to kill anyone, but Emma Shaw, Jeffrey Kantor, the policemen the night Jane returned…they threatened Jane so I killed them. I'm sorry, but I would do it again, because nothing can happen to her."

Kurt sank down on the cot in his cell. He understood Roman so much better now. If the truth were told, he couldn't even blame him for what he'd done. He'd been in a horrible situation and all he cared about was keeping Jane alive until she could figure out a way back to him. He understood that better than anyone else.

"You know if she's still alive she's coming for us," Kurt looked over at Roman with a troubled frown.

"I know," Roman agreed, "If she does, he's going to try to kill her."

"What are we going to do about that?" Kurt looked over at Roman.

"We're going to stop him," Roman answered.

"Whatever it takes," Kurt agreed.

It was at that moment that the two most important men in Jane's life became united in their common goal to keep her alive.


	19. Chapter 19

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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Jane had begun to search for a way out of her confinement when she heard faint shuffling. She frowned in confusion. She knew why she needed to be quiet, but why would anyone else?

Picking up the gun she'd laid in her lap, she began to move to a better vantage point.

She didn't get far before she heard the freezer door open. Knowing that at any moment the people that took her would realize she was still alive, she had just decided to abandon a view for distance when she heard it.

"The bag is empty," A relieved voice said.

She froze. She'd know that voice anywhere.

Suddenly the overhead lights came on.

"You know," A voice she didn't recognize boomed out, "You lied to me…"

There was no response.

Jane moved back toward where she knew Roman was. None of this was making any sense.

"The funny thing is, I had no doubt where to find you and here you are." The man continued.

Kurt looked at the empty bag and felt the strongest urge to cry. She wasn't dead. The relief that followed that realization made him almost lightheaded. Now he just needed to find her.

Just then the overhead lights came on and he shared a look with Roman. Trapped in the freezer, Kurt weighed their options. Three things were immediately apparent. One the assassin was about to discover them, two he would also realize that Jane was no longer in the bag, and three he knew that Roman wasn't with the NSA, which meant he would probably kill him outright.

He looked over at Roman and quickly moved to the empty bag. Gesturing at him he waited. Roman knew exactly what Kurt wanted him to do and he didn't hesitate. Climbing inside the bag, he contorted to fit. He was larger than Jane and it was a tight squeeze. This was a risk because once Kurt zipped the bag, he would be helpless, if the gunman realized the difference there would be nothing he could do to protect himself.

Once he was done, Kurt simply sat next to the bag and waited to be found. He knew if Jane had actually been dead in this bag, he wouldn't have cared about being found. Sitting there he waited to be discovered…waited for his chance.

The door opened and Kurt heard the gunman move toward him hesitantly, but he didn't look up.

"Where's your friend?" The man demanded.

Kurt didn't answer.

"Answer me," The gunman insisted, not moving away from the door, but scanning the inside of the freezer with his eyes.

Jane knew that Roman wasn't alone, but she had no idea who might be with him. He wasn't the type to work with others. It had always been either the two of them or solo missions for him.

"You might be the Assistant Director of the FBI, but I will kill you," The Gunman warned Kurt.

At that proclamation Jane's hand waivered her gun before she steadied it. _Kurt was with Roman_ , was her first thought. The second was _He'd come for her and was about to die._

Standing Kurt turned toward the gunman.

"He's gone," He finally told him.

"I don't believe you," The man denied.

"I had to know if she was actually dead," Kurt explained, "He just wanted to get out."

"Come toward me," The man told Kurt.

It was Jane that took him up on that invitation. On the way she picked up a coffee cup from the shelf. Just as Kurt stepped out of the freezer she threw the cup into the corner opposite her. The Gunman immediately turned to fire his weapon in that direction. Before Jane could fire, Kurt rushed him and the two went down. Jane gave up stealth for speed and rushed to intercede.

Kurt saw her coming, but he didn't need her assistance. He'd wanted to get his hands on him and he wasn't passing up this opportunity. Knocking the gun out of his hand, Kurt didn't stop. Even when the man was unconscious, Kurt continued to pummel him.

"Kurt," Jane called in alarm, reaching for him.

The second her hand touched his shoulder, he seemed to gather his control. Stopping as abruptly as it started, Kurt climbed to his feet and hauled Jane into his arms.

"I thought you were dead," He said accusingly.

"I'm fine," Jane insisted, her hand coming up to the back of his head.

"You're freezing," Kurt realized, feeling her shivering.

"I'm already better," Jane reassured him, even as he rubbed his hands up and down her back to warm her.

"It's okay…I got out," Roman said coming out of the freezer.

Kurt looked over at him blankly, having completely forgotten about him.

"Never mind," Roman smiled at Jane.

"What happened?" Jane worried still from within the circle of Kurt's arms.

Kurt was clearly still undone, so it was Roman that explained.

"Are you okay?" He finally asked her looking down at her bloody shirt.

"Yeah," Jane dismissed looking down, "This is Patterson's doing…"

Roman could only nod impressed.

"You were hit," Kurt worried.

"It's okay," Jane soothed him, "Someone checked my vest several times."

Seeing the teasing in her eyes, Kurt's arms tightened and his eyes closed.

"Kurt…" Jane worried.

When his eyes opened back up she was looking up at him in concern.

He leaned down and claimed her mouth desperately.

"Okay," Roman looked away uncomfortably.

Jane didn't give her brother a thought. Kurt needed her right now and she might be trying to lighten things up, but she needed him just as much.

Kurt lifted his head and turned toward Roman, his control once more reestablished.

"We need to contact the team," Kurt told him.

"Then I should probably go," Roman said.

"I want you to come in," Kurt said seriously.

Jane tensed within his arms at that proclamation.

"Thanks for the suggestion," Roman told him, "But super max doesn't really sound too good right now."

"We need your help," Kurt denied.

Jane's eyes flew to his face in shock.

"You will never get anyone to sign off on that," Roman denied with regret.

"Kurt?" Jane was afraid to hope.

"He killed to protect you," Kurt explained, "I would to the same."

Jane looked down at the unconscious man on the floor before looking at Kurt and shaking her head.

"What about Emma?" She whispered.

"It will always be hard," Kurt admitted, "But we are all more than just one mistake."

When she realized he was repeating her own words back and was actually willing to give Roman another chance, her eyes closed and to her shock a sob escaped.

"What if they deny your offer?" Roman was watching Jane's reaction, tempted to risk it.

"I have the authority to make this offer," Kurt assured him, "You won't regret it."

"Then let's go," Roman and Jane shared a look.

Just then the door flew open and FBI Agents began to flood the building.

"Reinforcements," Kurt said impressed.

"They saved us a call," Jane smiled up at him.

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The day was really long. They got back to the NYO and Kurt spent hours in the office with Hirst. Jane was about ready to simply find a corner somewhere and sleep when he finally appeared.

"Everything okay?" She worried.

He walked over to her and lifted a hand to push her hair behind her ear. Looking down into her worried expression he assured her, "Its fine."

"What did Hirst say about Roman?" Jane asked.

"She's worried about my judgement, since I'm his brother-in law, but Patterson also vouched for him so she's going to support the decision." Kurt admitted.

Jane closed her eyes in relief. "Where's Roman now?" She asked.

"You're old safe house," Kurt said.

"I hope that doesn't bring back too many bad memories," Jane worried.

Kurt frowned at that, he hadn't considered that.

"I can have him moved," He offered immediately.

"No," Jane denied, "Let's see how he does."

"Did the doctor clear you?" Kurt asked her in concern. It had been very difficult being separated from her while he tried to iron out the detail regarding Roman's new status. If it hadn't been so important, he would have called the meeting over much earlier. As it was, he'd spent a frustrating evening attempting to keep his eyes on the one thing that really mattered while still doing what had to be done. Every time Jane had left his view, he'd become antsy and distracted. If he'd have just hauled her into the room with him, it probably wouldn't have taken near as long.

"Ummm…" Jane hedged looking away.

Kurt looked down at her with a frown. "You've _have_ been cleared by medical?"

"I'm…" Jane wanted to lie, but he knew her too well for that, "I didn't go."

Turning, with a clenched jaw Kurt headed toward the medical bay.

"Kurt," Jane protested, "I'm tired…can't this wait?"

"No," He denied not looking over his shoulder.

Jane answered all the questions. She was poked and prodded and when she'd finally been clear she did the unthinkable, she asked them to check Kurt.

"For what?" He demanded exasperated.

"You were drugged," Jane reminded him, "And you're hand is a mess."

Kurt looked down at his knuckles uncomfortably. He wasn't a man to lose control…in fact only one person in the world could make that happen, he looked down at her concerned eyes and relented.

When they finally climbed into the SUV, Jane sank against the seat gratefully.

Kurt looked over at her with an indulgent expression, "Rest you head back, I'll wake you when we get home."

Jane took him up on his offer. She couldn't ever remember being quite this tired…

She fell asleep within moments and Kurt let his eyes run over her face tenderly. He'd thought he lost her today…suddenly he was desperate to get home. He wanted to hold her against him, feel the warmth of her arms, the beat of her heart, her breath on his neck. He needed that…needed her.

When they finally arrived, he didn't bother to wake her, but went around and lifted her out of the car and into his arms. She stirred but didn't waken. Once they were inside he laid her on the bed and began divesting her of her clothing.

"Kurt?" Jane said not opening her eyes.

"We're home honey," He whispered, "Go back to sleep."

"Okay," She agreed, so tired her voice was slurred.

Once he had her naked he stopped and looked down on the bruise that covered her chest. He was trembling when he reached his hand out to cover the impact site. If she hadn't been wearing the vest…

Pulling the covers over her tenderly he made short work of getting ready to join her. Climbing beneath the covers with her he pulled her against him and arranged her until no part of her was separated from him. Her warmth reassured him, his heart picked up her rhythm and as he closed his eyes he could feel her breath on his neck. The tension that had been tying him in knots all day began to unwind. He'd gotten up this morning, his chest heavy with anxiety. He went to bed tonight, everything right in his world. He had no idea what tomorrow might bring, but as he ran his down his wife's back, he didn't worry. He had everything he needed right here.

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Jane woke up with a smile on her face. He head was resting on Kurt's chest and she rubbed her cheek against it softly. They'd been together for a while, but she knew the novelty of being able to kiss and touch Kurt would never wear off. After all the time she'd spent watching from afar, finding herself in his arms was magical. He was undoubtedly the best thing that had ever happened to her…she thought as she drifted in and out of sleep.

Two hours later she was beyond annoyed.

"You can't be serious," She argued, coughing.

"I absolutely am," Kurt denied as he put on his tie.

Jane sat on the side of the bed with a tissue glaring at him.

"This is ridiculous, you're being unreasonable." She accused him.

"You're sick," Kurt insisted, walking over and placing his hand on her hot forehead before leaning down and kissing it.

"I caught a cold," Jane argued, "Not typhoid, I can come in."

"No," Kurt denied. He knew she was frustrated and if the truth were told, he wanted nothing more than to sit and stare at her all day. He, however, needed to go in to see if Patterson had been able to trace the money and after what he'd been through yesterday he wasn't willing to risk Jane in any way.

"You'll probably be home late." Jane said starting to miss him already.

Kurt looked down at her with a smile. He loved it when she so obviously missed him. He needed her so much, if she hadn't needed him just as much, he would have probably become seriously insecure.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Jane pulled Kurt's sweater around her and followed after him when he went to answer it.

"Who is it?" She demanded just as he pulled it open.

Tasha stood there a bag in her arms.

Looking past Kurt she warned her, "I brought soup, but if you get me sick I'm kicking your ass."

Jane had to look away to hide her smile at Tasha's threat.

"She's a little grumpy," Kurt warned Tasha.

"Great…" Looking at Jane with her heavy socks, sweats, t-shirt and Kurt's sweater, Tasha told him, "She also looks like her clothes are trying to eat her."

"She's cold," Kurt explained looking over at Jane with a little smile. She did give the appearance of a little girl playing dress up.

"She can hear you," Jane said grumpily.

"So…all day?" Tasha looked over at Kurt with a heavy sigh.

"I'll come home at lunch and bring food," Kurt assured her with a smile, "Let me know what you want."

Tasha moved to the kitchen accepting her fate.

"She's staying with me all day?" Jane asked with a smile.

"She couldn't wait," Kurt lied.

Tasha's loud harrumph from the kitchen belied his statement.

"So lunch?" Jane confirmed.

"Lunch," Kurt promised leaning down for a kiss.

Jane turned her head away and his kiss found her cheek.

He pulled back and looked down at her with a frown.

"I'm sick," She reminded him.

He shook his head as he looked down into her sparkling eyes, "Not fair. Now who is being unreasonable?"

She crinkled her nose up at him and he leaned down to steal a kiss before heading out the door.

Tasha came out of the kitchen with a bowl of soup and a bottle of tequila.

"Is that supposed to be like some type of hot totty?" Jane asked her with a smile.

"Nobody said being sick couldn't be fun," Tasha denied, sinking down into the couch.

Jane moved over to join her…this being sick might not be so bad after all.


	20. Chapter 20

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters.

Okay…I didn't think this update was happening. I woke up this morning with NOTHING…then this happened…I guess it's better than what I started with…Hope you enjoy!

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"So," Kurt looked at Patterson, "What were you able to find out?"

"Whoever paid this money out is crazy good," She told him.

"I'm not looking for an endorsement," Kurt said in frustration.

"Sorry," Patterson told him.

"No," Kurt denied, "I'm sorry. What have you been able to determine?"

"Obviously, the payments been routed through multiple dummy accounts all over the world," Patterson pulled up a map showing the money's progression.

"Where did it originate?" Kurt asked as the dots just kept filling the screen.

"That's just it," Patterson insisted, "It didn't come from any one account. Someone hacked into one of the big electric companies and siphoned minuscule amounts from thousands of accounts. We're talking change here, nothing that someone would bother calling to complain about."

"So it's a hacker," Kurt asked.

"Not just a hacker," Patterson denied, "One of the best I've ever seen."

"So what happened to the money once it was taken from the electric company accounts?" Kurt demanded.

"It started going through the banking system, but not all together," Patterson told him, Thousands of transfers finally condensed into one account right before the payoff was made. None of those accounts remained open once the money left them."

"So we have nothing?" Kurt rubbed his neck.

"Not exactly," Patterson denied. She pulled up a single bank in the Philippines and drilled down into their software, "You see that?"

Kurt looked at the random code on the screen and then over at Patterson expectantly, "What about it?"

"I've only seen that code ever in one place." She told him.

"Where?"

"That's United States Government," Patterson told him.

"What?" Kurt looked over at Patterson in disbelief.

"Someone working for our government instigated this transfer." Patterson warned him.

"Any idea who?" Kurt felt sick.

"Not yet," Patterson denied, "It could be CIA or NSA."  
"When will you know?" Kurt demanded.

"Kurt," Patterson's voice dropped, "It could even be someone here."

"Can you find them?" Kurt demanded.

"I don't know," Patterson admitted, "We all received the same training. It's like I'm looking for myself."

"What do you need?" Kurt demanded.

"Trust me when I tell you this is going to hurt me more than you," Patterson warned him, "Where's Rich?"

Kurt's head went back and he took a deep breath.

"He's still in medical," Kurt admitted.

"He's already hacked most of these governmental servers. We know he knew about Omaha even before we did. If I try to go in there, they will recognize my code just like I did theirs. Rich can get in and not lead them back to us." Patterson told him.

"How long?" Kurt demanded.

"This is something we don't have," Patterson insisted, "We need to make him an asset."

"So you want to keep him?" Kurt looked over at her to verify what she was saying.

"This could be his get out of jail free pass," Patterson admitted.

"I'll talk to him," Kurt agreed.

Watching him go, Patterson wondered just what she'd just done.

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Rich lay on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

Jane was dead…

He didn't know why, but he hadn't ever thought that could actually happen.

Remembering the moment when the bullet struck her he brought up his hand and rubbed his face.

He knew that Weller thought he was kidding when he told him he was in love with his wife, but he'd been more than serious. He'd never met anyone like Jane before. She'd been the perfect combination of bad ass and innocent that he'd ever seen. Naïve in a way that was unexpectedly refreshing but lethal in a way that was intoxicating. Those two traits would have been enough, but she was exceptionally beautiful too. The total package…and she'd been taken away from them.

All the time in prison had changed him. Working with Jane and Weller had as well, but sitting there thinking about the person that had killed her, Rich felt a thirst for blood he'd never experienced before. He'd kill before, but it had been more to keep people in line than a need for revenge. This was different…this was personal in a way that was new.

Just then the door opened and Weller came in.

"They took her," Rich said without an ounce of his normal levity.

"Rich," Kurt moved the chair closer to the bed, "I need your help."

"You got it," Rich agreed, pushing the sheets away and sitting up.

"Aren't you going to ask what for?" Weller looked at Rich in confusion.

"We're going to find out who took Jane from us and we're going to kill them," Rich explained easily.

Weller looked down into the serious face of Rich Dot Com as though he'd never seen him before. This was not the jokester that laughed his way through life, this was somebody else.

"Jane's alive," Kurt told him softly.

Rich froze, his eyes jerking up to look into Kurt's, desperate to believe.

"Alive?" Rich needed verification.

Kurt nodded once, but it was enough for Rich. The smile was back.

"How could you let me believe she'd been killed?" Rich demanded, "Do you know what I just went through?"

Kurt knew exactly.

"The person who did this is still out there," Kurt warned him.

"What do you want me to do?" Rich was on board.

"Join the team," Kurt told him, "Work with us and become an asset."

"For how long?" Rich was surprised.

"Well, your sentence was life," Kurt reminded him.

"So it would be…what? Permanent?" Rich shook his head.

"Yeah," Kurt admitted.

"So you're asking be for a permanent commitment?" Rich began to smile, "Kinda like being married to the team?"

Kurt just looked at him. How had he gotten himself into this?

"Come on," Rich urged him, "Say it…"

"Rich will you join the team?" Kurt's jaw flexed as he said it.

"I will…I _do_ ," Rich immediately agreed. "Do we all wear rings now?"

" _Rich_ ," Kurt warned him.

"When to I get to see Jane?" Rich insisted, loving this unexpected twist.

"She's at home today," Kurt explained, "Sick."

"So does everyone know she's alive?" Rich whispered.

"No," Kurt denied.

Rich stood up and began to look around the room.

"Have you seen my pants?" He asked Kurt.

Kurt leaned down at picked up his pants before throwing them at his chest. Watching his newest asset hop around the room getting dressed, Kurt wondered at what he'd just done.

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Roman looked out the window of the safe house half expecting to see his detail, but there was nobody there.

Opening the door, he stepped outside cautiously and looked around.

He couldn't believe everything that happened in the past twenty-four hours. He'd gone from fugitive to asset without quite knowing how that happened.

Heading toward the subway he made his way to the NYO. He didn't know exactly what he was supposed to do, but he figured it would require a trip to the office to find out.

When he arrived he expected to encounter difficulties, but arriving at the security desk, he was greeted by name and provided the credentials he needed to access the building. Weller was really efficient.

He bypassed the bull pen and headed toward Patterson's lab. He didn't know where Jane was, but Patterson and he had developed somewhat of a rapport so he sought her out.

She looked up when he entered and her smile was genuine, "Roman!"

"Hey," He greeted her, "Is Jane in already?"

"No," Patterson denied, "She's sick."

"What's wrong?" Roman worried.

"She must have picked up a cold from the freezer," Patterson explained.

"What about Weller?" Roman asked.

"He's been in," Patterson said with tone.

"Happy guy this morning?" Roman smiled.

"Well," Patterson explained, "First, Jane is at home and he is here. Strike one. Second, He keeps getting condolences for his loss, which only reminds him how horrible yesterday was. Strike two. Then I had to tell him that someone that works for _our_ government made the payment transfer for Jane's hit. Strike three. Did I mention that I had to request that he release the bane of his existence to help me discover who wants Jane dead? No? Well I did."

"There's someone worse than me?" Roman smiled at her animated explanation.

"Way worse," Patterson admitted, "Did I mention that this person declares his love for Jane in loud flowering praise all the while propositioning her incessantly?"

"Who is he?" Roman didn't like the sound of that.

"Rich Dot Com at your service," Said a boisterous voice from the doorway.

Roman looked over at the flamboyant entrance.

"Rich Dot Com," Patterson answered both Roman and Rich.

" _Who_ are you?" Rich's eyes landed on Roman approvingly.

Roman shot an alarmed look at Patterson.

She was attempting to contain her laughter at his expression.

"Roman," He answered him.

Kurt walked in behind him looking exasperated.

"Rich, this is Roman, Jane's brother." Kurt told him.

"Really?" Rich moved in closer.

Roman stood his ground, but that didn't stop the dark web hacker.

"Wow," He walked around him, "Great genes run in that family."

"Focus Rich," Kurt insisted.

"Oh," Rich assured him looking at Roman, "I am."

"Are you sure you need him?" Kurt demanded to Patterson.

"Need is such a strong word," Patterson hedged.

"You need me," Rich assured her.

"I need him," Patterson admitted.

"This is going to be fun…" Rich said rubbing his hands together.

Kurt and Patterson shared a look of resignation.

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Jane was feeling soooo much better.

Her nose was still running and her throat was still sore and she might be coughing, but she felt great!

Tasha watched her with an amused smile.

"You should come over the hang out more often," Jane told her.

"I don't know if you're enjoying me so much as the tequila." Tasha denied.

"Oh, no," Jane assured her, "It's you."

"Okay," Tasha said in disbelief.

"I missed you when I was gone," Jane confessed, looking sad.

"I thought you were dead," Tasha said seriously.

"That must have been hard," Jane worried, "How was Kurt?"

"He was destroyed," Tasha admitted, "We honestly didn't know how he was going to keep going on like that."

"He had you," Jane knew that with certainty.

"We all wanted to be there for him," Tasha agreed, "But he was so closed off. He wouldn't talk to us. He came into the office all day and many times most the night. It was like he couldn't stand to come home to an empty house. The only thing it seemed like we could do was follow-up on leads and keep the rest of the problems away from him. Reed, Patterson and I took turns handling fires at the office so that he could concentrate on finding you."

"Is it going to be hard on you working with Roman?" Jane worried.

"It's going to take a while," Tasha admitted, "I don't trust him…but I do trust Kurt and…I do trust you."

Jane looked up in surprise. She thought she'd killed Tasha's trust along with Mayfair. She considered her one of her closest friends, but she'd known that they might never find what they'd lost when she'd betrayed them.

Seeing the look on Jane's face at her revelation Tasha warned her, "Do be getting all sappy on me."

"You trust me?" Jane suddenly felt weepy.

"I am never giving you tequila again," Tasha warned her looking away to hide the moisture in her own eyes.

Suddenly Jane was beside her and Tasha found herself enveloped in a mile of baggy clothes and sniffling human.

Hugging her back Tasha warned her, "I'm still kicking your ass if I catch this."

"You love me," Jane denied tearfully.

"I do," Tasha finally admitted with a little smile, "But if you tell anyone…"

"Never," Jane agreed with a sneeze.

Tasha pushed her back down on the couch and covered her with a blanket, all the while wondering why she'd felt the need to admit that. She hadn't had any tequila…

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Kurt arrived with not only bags of food, but Roman as well.

Jane had fallen asleep on the couch and Kurt placed the bags on the counter and immediately gravitated toward Jane. He lent down to feel her forehead. When she seemed mildly cooler he felt instant relief. Seeing the tender smile of his face as he looked down at Jane, Roman felt some of his tension ease.

Tasha was watching Roman and it was a revelation when she realized that he might actually care for his sister.

Looking at all the bags Tasha protested, "You brought enough food to feed an army."

Before Kurt could answer there was a knock on the door. He opened it to admit Patterson, Reed, Stewart and… _Rich_?

"What's going on?" Tasha looked at Patterson in alarm.

"We have a new asset," She warned her.

"You don't mean… _Rich_?" Tasha pleaded desperately.

"Where is she?" Rich demanded looking around him.

Jane woke with a start.

"There she is," Rich moved over toward her immediately.

" _Rich_?" Jane said in confusion.

"Don't worry," Rich assured her, "I'm here."

Jane looked over at Kurt in utter confusion.

"We have a new asset," He warned her.

Her eyes flew back to Rich in alarmed disbelief.

"Let me help you sit up," Rich insisted.

"I've got her," Kurt muttered and the others watched their tug of war with amusement.

"Well this is going to be fun," Reed observed.

"Who do you think will win?" Stewart asked.

"Kurt will always win," Patterson insisted, "Nobody could ever replace Kurt's place by Jane's side."

Roman heard the words and for the first time he didn't mind. Jane would always be his sister and one of the most important people in his life, but looking at the faces of the people around him, he's started to realize that she didn't have to be the only one. He would earn his place on this team, he would become a part of their family and they would never have cause to doubt him again. His vow was silent, but determined.


	21. Chapter 21

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters.

Okay, this is a short chapter…but it's something…right? I usually write on and off as time permits. A little here…a little there, while I watch TV during the commercials…before I go to sleep. Then I try to finalize it first thing and get it posted. These last few days, however, I've been going for the morning marathon session. This is not working out. I'm just too busy. I will attempt to organize my real life better so that my pretend world gets the attention it deserves. No promises… Hope you enjoy. J

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Jane sat on the end of the couch, Kurt next to her and Rich next to him. As she spooned the soup into her mouth Rich kept leaning around Kurt to share some random insight on her "situation" with her.

She looked over at Tasha and Patterson helplessly and they didn't laugh at her outright, but their amusement was more than apparent.

She shot them a glare, which they ignored.

She turned her attention to the table where Reed, Roman and Stewart were sitting. None of them were paying any attention to the new team dynamic. The three of them seemed totally engrossed in their food, almost too engrossed. To say the least, things were a little awkward.

Feeling full, Jane leaned over to place her mostly empty bowl on the coffee table. Kurt took it from her and looked down as though judging whether or not she'd eaten enough before setting it down.

When he looked back up at her she shot him a warning look and he wisely just smiled.

"Are you feeling any better?" He asked instead, lacing his fingers through hers.

"I feel better," Jane assured him and it was true. Her throat was still sore, but she thought it had more to do with her sinus congestion than with any type of virus.

"I think Tasha might have found a cure for the common cold," Jane teased.

"Oh, yeah?" Kurt looked over at Tasha in question.

"Tequila," Tasha enlightened him.

"I'll have to remember that," Kurt laughed.

"Be careful," Tasha warned him, "It makes your wife sentimental."

Jane blushed and Kurt put his arm around her and kissed her cheek with a smile.

"I'll keep that in mind," He teased.

"So what did you find out?" Jane looked over at Patterson attempting to change the subject.

"To keep it brief…" Patterson said and began her explanation, Ten minutes later she concluded, "Someone that works for the United States Government is trying to kill you."

"That's keeping it brief?" Reed teased her.

The others laughed, but all of them were aware of the real threat to Jane's life.

"So what now?" Jane worried.

"Now we need to start at the beginning," Kurt told them.

"So the night I was abducted?" Jane suggested.

"No," Stewart insisted, "The wedding."

"I think this might go back a little farther than that." Kurt warned them.

"How far?" Jane worried.

"Roman," Kurt looked over at him, "You want to tell Jane what you remember?"

"You were never a member of Orion," Roman told her.

"What?" Jane gasped, "Yes I was…that's what started all of this to begin with."

"No," Roman insisted, "You weren't. You went undercover to expose the corruption in the Orion program and when they found out about it, they attempted to eliminate you."

"Undercover for who?" Jane was struggling to understand any of this. Just when she thought she knew enough about her past to be able to move forward, the rug was pulled out from beneath her feet.

"The NSA," Roman admitted.

"But…" Jane protested, "If that was true, then Nas would have known that all along."

"Yes," Roman agreed, "She did."

"But she knew I'd been taken to the CIA black site, why didn't she intervene?" Jane felt sick.

"Once you memories were wiped, the NSA went decided to cover it up. You were an asset that had become a liability, eliminating you served its own purpose." Reed suggested.

"So why go to the FBI to bring me back in once I escaped?" Jane demanded.

"They underestimated you," Tasha realized, "You didn't die like they expected, so they decided you could still be useful."

"So everything was a lie?" Jane realized.

"You paid for sins you didn't even commit," Rich observed.

"I was still a member of Sandstorm," Jane reminded them.

"No," Roman denied, "You weren't."

"How is that possible?" Jane scoffed, "It was my plan."

"Sheppard's plan was much worse," Roman assured her, "You were attempting to derail her schemes and stop her. She found out and it was either eliminate you outright, or send you to the FBI. I won that round, but in the end she wanted revenge."

Jane was completely overwhelmed. The guilt she's lived with for so long had almost completely defined the person she'd become…to find out now everything she thought she knew was a lie…made her feel as though she didn't know who she was anymore.

Pushing herself up off the couch, she headed toward the bedroom with a muttered, "Excuse me."

Kurt was off the couch and trailing after her immediately.

Jane needed a moment. Heading into the bathroom, she leaned against the counter and felt almost panicky. Her breathing was fast and if she didn't know herself better she might have thought she was having a panic attack. But she didn't know herself, she realized, not at all.

"Jane?" Kurt moved in and crowded close, "Are you okay?"

She looked up at him blankly.

"Who am I?" She all but sobbed.

He reached up and cupped her head with both hands. He tilted her head until their eyes met, hers were awash with tears and his were strikingly earnest when he told her, "You are Jane Weller. You are my wife and better half. You are the most compassionate woman I have ever known. You are feisty and opinionated, protective, smart, loving, beautiful… and those are just _some_ of the things I love about you. You are not defined by the past you can't remember, but by the future we are going to build together."

Jane placed both hands on Kurt's chest and felt the steady rhythm of his heart beat beneath her palms. Taking a couple of deep breaths she looked up into the eyes of the most important person in her life. He _was_ her starting point, anchor, best friend, lover and she knew no matter how long they had, he would be her ending point as well. She might never know the person she'd been before, but she knew the person she was now…and if he could love that person, it would be enough for her.

"I love you," She whispered.

"I love you, too," He assured her.

She gave him a wavering smile and he leaned in closed and sealed it with his lips.

"Who are you?" Kurt asked her when he pulled away.

"I'm Jane Weller," She told him with a growing smile.

The look on his face became intense…heated, "That's exactly right." He agreed before pulling her more tightly against him and guiding her lips back to his.

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"So I think that puts the NSA at the top of the hit list," Reed said in the silence following Jane and Wellers exit.

"Maybe," Patterson agreed, "But the program she was trying to bring down was CIA."

"Carter wanted Jane badly enough to abduct her," Tasha reminded them.

"Keaton had her for months," Steward protested, "If they wanted her dead…she'd be dead."

"Maybe Keaton didn't know about it." Tasha argued.

"He's the Deputy Director of the CIA," Reed insisted, "He would have to know about it."

"So not the CIA?" Rich questioned.

"It can't be the NSA," Patterson insisted, "They just re-tattoo Jane's entire body, they wouldn't kill her now or that would have all be for nothing."

"So not the NSA?" Rich insisted.

"What about Sheppard's group?" Reed looked over at Roman, "Would they want Jane dead?"

"Of course," Roman agreed.

"But the wire transfer used our government code." Patterson insisted, "They would have had to been using out systems."

"So not Sandstorm?" Rich was getting testy.

"Sheppard recruited high level operatives in all levels of government," Roman reminded them.

"That's true," Patterson agreed.

"What about the FBI?" Roman asked bluntly.

"You think it might be the FBI?" Stewart was completely offended.

"We have to consider it," Tasha surprised everyone by agreeing with Roman.

"We lost a lot of agents," Patterson reminded Stewart quietly, "When people lose their friends, loyalties can change."

"This is why you need me," Rich finally interrupted them. "All this speculation is giving me a headache. Give me a computer and let me go…I'll find out who is doing this, I don't care who they are."

Coming back into the room with his arm securely wrapped around Jane, Kurt looked around the room at his new team and said, "You heard the man…let's give him a computer."

"I think we should all get matching rings too," Rich insisted in the ensuing quiet.

" _Rich_ ," Kurt all but growled.

"Just saying…" He mumbled.


	22. Chapter 22

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters.

I've been hijacked by responsibility! I hate when that happens. Here's another short chapter, before starting another long day. Hope you all have a good one…Enjoy.

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Jane's return to the office caused quite a stir.

Her first day back she spent the morning in Kurt's office, because he wanted to keep an eye on her and she wouldn't have gotten anything done otherwise. It was one thing to approach her at her desk… it was another to knock on Kurt's office door to express your happiness that she was still alive.

Rich had claimed Bordon's old office across from Patterson's lab. Kurt had decided to use it as a base of operations for the team. It would keep them out of the bullpen and the information confidential. The only drawback so far was when Jane was working with the team she would be beyond his sight. He'd developed the habit of checking on her almost from the beginning. After her disappearance, it had even become more essential to have line of sight. He'd have to get with Patterson to set up some type of surveillance system he could access from his office or it was unlikely he would ever get anything done.

"Weller?"

Kurt looked up.

"Yes," He stood up to greet the man, moving around his desk.

"My name is James Trent, I'm with the NSA and I've been assigned to replace Ms. Kamal's position as lesion with your Department."

Kurt greeted him without letting the tension that suddenly tightened his shoulders from showing.

"Have you discovered anything more about Nas' death?" Kurt asked him, shaking his hand and offering him a seat.

"That's why I'm here," Trent told him, "We know that Jane Doe was with Ms. Kamal the night she died and would like to question her about what she remembers of that night."

"Jane Weller," Kurt corrected him.

"What?" Trent didn't seem to understand.

"Her name," Kurt explained, "Its Jane Weller."

"Of course," Trent hastily assured him, "My apologies."

"She doesn't know anything," Kurt explained, "She was unconscious in the trunk."

"She knows who was with her when she woke up," Trent insisted, "We need to know that."

"And I need to know _why my_ _wife_ was in the trunk in the first place," Kurt said with a hard look.

They were at an impasse and they both knew it.

"Is Mrs. Weller around?" Trent asked with a smile, "I'd love to meet her."

"Afraid not," Weller denied.

"Too bad," Trent said standing, "Maybe another time."

"Nice to meet you," Kurt dismissed him.

"You too," Trent said with a brittle smile.

Kurt watched him go with a frown.

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Jane pressed the button heading toward Kurt's office. It was almost time for lunch and she wanted to see if he had time to eat. If he didn't she would bring him something.

The doors opened, but before she could step off, a man waiting stepped inside and hit the stop button.

She went to step around him, but he grabbed her arm. That was his first mistake.

Jane reached over and removed his hand…forcefully.

The doors closed.

"I just want to talk," The man told her, holding up his hands.

"So talk." Jane suggested, ready for anything.

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The alarm sounded immediately when the elevator was manually stopped.

Patterson was on it, pulling up the security camera she cursed under her breath when she realized that Jane was on it alone with someone she couldn't identify.

Reaching for the phone she dialed Weller's office all the while overriding his computer to send him the live feed.

"Weller," Kurt answered.

"Jane's stuck on the elevator with a man I don't know."

Kurt was on his feet immediately.

"What floor?" Kurt demanded looking at the picture on his monitor.

"You're floor," Patterson told him.

That was all Kurt needed to know.

Kurt shoved the phone in his pocket as her headed toward the doors standing between him and his wife.

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"I'm with the NSA, James Trent." The man explained, "I've been assigned as a liaison to replace Ms. Kamal."

"And you thought trapping me in an elevator with you was the best way to introduce yourself?" Jane demanded, unamused.

"I spoke to Assistant Director Weller and he already advised me that you cannot recall the events that led to Nas Kamal's death." Trent explained.

"That still doesn't explain why we're standing here right now." Jane didn't respond to his comment.

"This is an active investigation," Trent insisted, "It's in your best interest to cooperate."

When Jane simply looked at him without responding, Trent became more forceful.

"Do you have something to hide?" He demanded.

Just then the elevator doors began to be pried open.

"I would hit the button if I were you," Jane warned him getting her first glimpse of a furious Kurt.

He didn't take her advice. That was his second mistake.

Kurt's eyes were on Jane as he got the doors released.

"You okay?" He demanded shoving Trent against the wall and running is eyes over Jane in concern.

"I'm fine," Jane assured him calmly.

Turning to Trent, Weller demanded, "You want to explain what the hell you were doing?"

"I was taking the opportunity presented to me to question your wife." Trent said unabashed.

"That is unacceptable," Kurt didn't let go.

"So is attempting to stall an ongoing investigation." Trent would not back down. "I will get a warrant to force your wife to speak with us."

"Are you threatening my wife?" Kurt demanded quietly. Strike three.

"I have a job to do," Trent insisted.

"Not here you don't," Kurt denied, "Get a warrant, but until you do, we're done here."

Kurt waited for Jane to exit the elevator before releasing Trent. Looking over at the two agents that had assisted him with the doors Kurt told them, "See him out."

Trent fixed his jacket when Kurt released him and stood silently while the two men joined him.

Kurt watched the doors close with a scowl.

"This is going to be fun," Jane observed with a sigh.

"I'm going to request his replacement," Kurt denied.

"Will they do that?" Jane asked in surprise.

"If they want any type of interoffice cooperation they will." Kurt insisted.

"I came here to see if you wanted to go to lunch," Jane explained once they were back in his office.

Looking over at the mountain of paperwork waiting for him, Kurt reluctantly denied, "I can't, but if you eat with me here, I'll have something sent in."

"Sounds good," Jane agreed, "Can I help you with anything?"

Just having her where he could see her was a tremendous help, Kurt admitted silently to himself.

"Just keep me company," Kurt denied.

Jane settled on the couch and rested her head back against the wall as Kurt first contacted Patterson to assure her that everything was under control and then he ordered lunch.

Listening to his voice soothed her and without knowing exactly when it happened she slipped into sleep.

Kurt hung up and looked over at Jane. He smiled when he saw she was sleeping. With renewed concentration he was able to get quite a bite of work done while waiting for their lunch to be delivered.

He knew it was still going to be a late night, but with everything that was going on, there was really no getting around it.

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"So he actually stopped the elevator and tried to question her?" Reed asked in disbelief.

"He's lucky that he was able to walk out of here," Tasha said only half joking.

"Weller wasn't going to hurt him," Patterson denied,

"I was talking about Jane," Tasha insisted with a smile.

"This makes them look really bad," Stewart worried.

"It's the NSA," Roman reminded him, "They spend their life attempting to catch people breaking the rules, all the while thinking that their above the rules themselves."

After the disclosures on Daylight and Omaha, nobody could really argue that point.

"We have to be careful," Patterson insisted, "No one agency is entirely corrupt. Jane worked with the NSA, so we know they must have some good people working over there."

"Where's Jane now?" Roman worried.

"She's with Kurt," Patterson assured him.

Rich was suspiciously quiet during their exchange…too quiet.

"Rich," Patterson looked over at him suspiciously. "What are you doing?"  
"What do you mean?" Rich asked unconvincingly.

Patterson moved around behind him and looked over his shoulder at his computer monitor.

"Is that the parking garage?" She asked suspiciously.

"Maybe," Rich shrugged.

"What are you doing?" Patterson worried.

Just then James Trent entered the live feed. Watching him walk over to his car, Patterson scowled down at Rich suspiciously. Suddenly the car's lights began to flash and the horn started sounding. Trent paused before continuing toward the vehicle. As suddenly as it started, it just as abruptly stopped. Trent entered the vehicle cautiously. It obviously didn't start. When he got back out Patterson looked over at Rich silently.

"Yeah," He smiled, "That's not going to start."

"Rich…what did you do?" Patterson demanded.

"I overloaded the car's motherboard…he's about to have a really bad day." Rich told her.

"Bad _day_?" Patterson repeated.

"Oh, yeah," Rich agreed. "His day's going to suck."

Patterson knew she should chastise him, but turning her head she looked over at Roman and they shared an amused smile.

"Carry on," Patterson told him, turning her back on him.

Rich secretly was beginning to like Patterson, despite himself. Turning back to the monitor she watched Trent reach for his phone…yeah, he thought with a few more keystrokes, that's sooo not going to work.

When his phone was dead too, Trent looked up at the surveillance camera and glared. Roman saluted him and kept typing.

Roman made a mental note not to piss off the dark web hacker…


	23. Chapter 23

I don't own Blindspot or any of the amazing characters…

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Kurt looked at the two men in his office with irritation.

"Did you get your warrant?" Kurt demanded to Trent.

"What warrant?" The man standing next to him asked.

"When Assistance Deputy Director Weller refused to cooperate I told him we would get a warrant to speak to Jane Doe if we had to." Trent admitted.

"Really?" NSA Director Horton demanded.

"Jane _Weller_ ," Kurt repeated furiously.

"He wouldn't even let me speak with her," Trent explained defensively.

"You asked to speak with her and I told you she wasn't available." Kurt denied.

"I ran into her," Trent reminded him.

"In the elevator," Kurt reminded him, "When she was on her way back in…where you all but accosted her."

" _What?"_ The Director Horton looked over at Trent in disbelief.

"I was simply making the best of a difficult situation…" He defended himself.

"I'm sorry," The Director turned toward Kurt with a frown, "I don't know what's come over him."

"Over me?" Trent asked in disbelief.

"I think we've heard enough," The Director insisted.

"Aren't you going to ask him about my car, my phone, my credit cards being cancelled…the warrant issued for my arrest?" Trent demanded incensed.

"What?" Kurt looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"It would seem that Agent Trent's identity was hacked yesterday after his visit here," The Director said uncomfortably, "He thinks you might have something to do with it."

"We're the FBI," Kurt reminded them both.

"I realize this is a serious allegation," The Director agreed, "But the timing is coincidental."

"Are you saying that you have proof that someone in my office hacked Trent's personal information?" Kurt demanded.

"Well…no," The Director denied.

"Are you attempting to establish some type of interagency corporation or sabotage it with these ridiculous allegations?" Kurt demanded.

"Is Mrs. Weller available now?" The Director asked politely.

"No," Kurt denied without hesitation.

"Do you see?" Trent demanded.

"When would be a better time?" the Director ignored Trent's comment.

"When you can tell me exactly what my wife was doing drugged and in the trunk of a car being driven by two NSA operatives." Kurt explained.

"Fair enough," The Director agreed, turning toward the door.

"That's it?" Trent demanded watching him leave without moving.

"That's it," The Director agreed without pausing.

Kurt watched Trent hesitate before following after his colleague.

Trent was going to be a problem he realized. Once the two disappeared onto the elevator, Kurt didn't waste any time. He arrived downstairs within a minute.

Walking over to Rich he looked down at him in exasperation, "You issued an _arrest warrant_ for Trent?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Rich said innocently.

"I didn't make you this offer so that you could use the FBI commuter to break the law," Kurt was not amused.

"You're welcome," Rich said without looking up.

Kurt knew he should be furious, but he would be lying if he didn't admit to himself that he wasn't really angry.

"Don't do it again," Kurt warned him.

"I hear you," Rich agreed easily.

"Where's Jane?" Kurt finally asked looking around.

"They had a lead on one of the tattoos," Rich explained.

"Why wasn't I notified?" Kurt was actually angry now.

"You were in the meeting with dumb and dumber," Rich explained. "It was time sensitive."

Kurt turned on his heel and headed toward Patterson's lab. This was unacceptable.

Rich watched him go before switching back to the screen he'd been watching before Kurt arrived. Trent was climbing into the car next to the NSA Director Horton.

With a little grin he typed in the keystrokes that would insure any ice cream in Trent's freezer would be melted before he arrived home. Electricity was a luxury and not a necessity after all…

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Jane climbed out of the car, looking over at Reed and Zapata. They fanned out. According to Patterson the building had three points of entry. It should have been abandoned, but there were signs of recent activity.

Reed went to the main entrance, Zapata the side entrance and Jane moved toward the back.

Walking past the stacks of empty crates and mounds of trash Jane approached the back door cautiously.

"I'm in position," Jane assured the others.

"Move in," Reed gave the call.

Jane opened the door, it was pitch dark inside. She hit the light on the weapon she was carrying and proceeded forward. She'd only made it a few steps inside when the sound of automatic weapon fire reached her ears. She knew it wasn't the team, because it was a different weapon.

"Is everyone okay?" She demanded moving toward the sound.

"Taking fire," Zapata warned the others.

"We're coming," Reed assured her, "Just say down and wait for us."

"Easier said than done," Zapata told them.

Jane moved faster.

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Kurt entered Patterson's lab with a clenched jaw.

"Where are they?" He didn't waste words.

"Building on the corner of Ash and Collins," She said without looking up.

"Want to tell me why you didn't wait for me?" Kurt demanded.

"Not now," Patterson said distracted, "They're taking fire."

Kurt's gaze flew from her face to the screen in front of her. The schematics for the building showed a large space with multiple levels.

"Give me a com," Kurt demanded.

She didn't make him ask twice.

"Report," Kurt demanded once he was linked to the team.

"Tasha's taking fire," Reed told him, "She entered from the side. I went in the front and Jane the back. We're in the building converging on Tasha's location."

Looking over at Patterson Kurt demanded, "How many Agent's went?"

"Only the three of them," Patterson admitted.

"Send backup," Kurt told her.

She nodded as she watched Kurt head out, "We're on our way," He told the team.

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Reed demanded, "Where are the shooters?"

"They are on the catwalk overlooking the warehouse space," Tasha warned them.

"How many?" Jane demanded going up the steps.

"At least three," Zapata warned her, "But there could be a sleeper shooter."

"Going up?" Jane verified to Reed.

"Going up," Reed confirmed.

Jane reached the top first. Turing off her light to prevent drawing attention to herself she watched momentarily trying to find out true numbers.

"We have three active shooters," Jane confirmed, "I'm going to start with the gunman in the northwest corner."

"I'll begin southeast," Reed advised.

Jane didn't want to draw fire since there was no real cover. She moved slowly and steadily. She also abandoned the catwalk for the rafters and was able to get within a few feet without him becoming aware of her movements.

She dropped down on top of him and his weapon fired wildly before becoming silent. She let his body fall and advised Reed and Zapata, "One down."

Reed responded back, "Two down…one left."

The remained gunman had begun to panic. His shots were wild as he ran for the stairs.

Jane stayed low waiting for her opportunity. He was coming right for her, but it was very apparent he didn't realize where she was. That was a good thing, because she had no cover. Raising her weapon she waited for him. Just as he was coming into range, the sleeper shooter began to fire. Jane grunted as she felt the impact to her vest.

"Report," Kurt demanded immediately.

She didn't comply because she'd been forced to roll off the platform and was currently hanging by one hand from the bottom of the catwalk, attempting to draw in air and not fall.

"Jane's been targeted," Zapata was the one to report, "Reed that last volley hit."

"Jane, hang on," Reed urged as he took out the fleeing gunman.

"Where's the sleeper?" Reed demanded.

"He's in the rafters, northeast," Jane said breathlessly.

"Are you hit?" Kurt demanded, closing his eyes at the sound of her voice.

"Took it in the plates," Jane denied, "But I can't hold on much longer,"

"I'm coming," Tasha assured her taking the steps two at a time.

"You can't until Reed takes out the shooter," Jane warned her.

"Reed?" Kurt demanded tensely.

"I'm on it," Reed said quietly.

Kurt arrived and immediately moved to the side entrance. He was in advance of the reinforcements, but didn't hesitate. Opening the side door he entered. Looking up his heart about stopped when he saw Jane dangling from the bottom of the catwalk over thirty feet in the air. She was only holding on by one hand and he knew immediately she'd been wounded.

"You're hit," Kurt accused her.

"He got my right arm," Jane confirmed.

Kurt scanned the floor for alternatives. His eyes lit on a portable metal steps and although he knew it wasn't tall enough to reach her, it would at least keep her from falling all the way to the cement floor if she lost her grip. The only problem was he would have to expose himself to the gunman to get it underneath her.

"Give me cover fire," Kurt warned the team.

"No," Jane protested, even as Zapata and Reed gave him what he needed.

Kurt didn't hesitate as he pushed the steps into position beneath her. Before he could even consider if it was in the right position or whether or not he could reach her from the top, she let go.

The sound of her hitting those metal steps was going to haunt him. The ringing reverberated throughout the mostly empty space. Jane fell down three steps before she was able to catch herself. She didn't take time to asses for damages, but slid down the remaining stairs meeting Kurt who by this time was waiting for her at the bottom.

Her feet never touched the warehouse floor. Kurt scooped her out of the air and ran for cover, even as the bullets hit the floor around them.

Once they were secure, Kurt turned toward Jane and demanded, "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," She mumbled, "Thanks for the assist."

Kurt knew that right now the dark was one of their best assets, but to inspect the damage to his wife, he needed light.

Suddenly, in the echoing quiet came the sound of more gunfire and then the distinct sound of a body hitting the concrete floor.

"Reed…Zapata?" Kurt demanded.

"Gunman's down," Reed reported back.

"How's Jane?" Zapata worried.

"I'm fine," She insisted, "We need to clear the rest of the building."

Just then reinforcements arrived.

"They've got this," Kurt insisted, "Patterson we need paramedics."

"They're in route," She assured Kurt.

Kurt lifted Jane into his arms and headed toward the side exit. When she didn't protest, but laid her head against his chest, his arms tightened and his heart raced.

Once they were clear of the building he looked down into her pain filled eyes.

"Tell me," He insisted walking toward the SUV.

"Nothing life threatening," Jane assured him. "Took one in the back plates and right arm, broke a couple of ribs and scratched my leg pretty good.

Kurt placed her on the passenger seat of the SUV with hands that shook. He tried to be gentle as he released the straps on her vest, but she wasn't able to hide her wince. He pulled it over her head and turned his attention to her arm first. A deep gouge had been carved out of her upper arm. He was just turning to retrieve the first aid kit from the back when the ambulance pulled in.

The paramedic ran over to Jane and leaned over her, all the while inspecting the injuries he could see.

He secured a compression bandage over her arm and turned his attention to her torn pants. Using his scissors he cut away her pant leg to reveal a twelve inch scratch that wrapped around her right outer thigh and ended right above her knee. The bruise was already forming and looked to be impressive.

He cleaned the wound and applied the bandage.

"What else?" He asked her as he was securing the tape.

"Couple of broken ribs," She admitted.

He checked her eyes and turned to Kurt, "We're going to have to take her in for some x-rays."

Kurt turned on his com, "I'm going with Jane to the hospital, Reed you have the scene."

"Is she okay?" Tasha immediately demanded.

"Just a little banged up," It was Jane that reassured her.

"We'll let you know what we find." Reed assured Kurt.

When Kurt joined the paramedic at the back of the ambulance he was stopped. Holding up his hand he said, "Sorry, immediate family only."

"She's my wife," Kurt told him, stepping into the back of the ambulance and taking the seat next to Jane's head.

The man looked at the two FBI Agents before him with a puzzled frown. He'd never heard of a husband and wife team working together in the field…wasn't that some type of conflict of interest?

Watching the loving way the man moved the woman's hair out of her eyes and the way she turned her cheek into the caress he was even more intrigued. He and his wife could argue about where to go to dinner…no way could they ever work together in a high intensity situation.

Looking down at the woman's injuries and back up to the man's obvious vulnerability to them he was even more impressed. She was clearly playing down the pain and he was clearly aware of what she was doing. That showed an intense level of caring on both their parts. That each was attempting to protect the other from the gravity of the situation and their reactions to it. Suddenly he really liked this couple. Reaching behind him he pulled out a syringe and injected the woman with something to make her more comfortable. He watched the tension disappear from her face first and then slowly it left his. Never had he treated one person and been able to effect two people so completely.

After leaving them with the emergency room personnel, the paramedic reached for his phone to call his own wife. He was inspired by the level of commitment he'd just witnessed, when she answered the phone he didn't tell her about the couple, but asked her how her day was going.

When she answered him he could hear the smile in her voice. They talked for a little while before she had to get back to work, both of them smiling when they hung up. He knew it was unlikely he'd ever see the couple again, but he didn't doubt that he was better for having witnessed them together. It was funny what you could learn from watching strangers…

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 _Side note: Watching strangers is the story of my life._ _I am an observer, going through life attempting to figure people out and what motivates them to act like they do._ _I like to remain unnoticed in the background silently observing and always attempting to recreate the beautiful moments that happen every day that go unnoticed and forgotten._ _The moments that make life worth living…_ _Thanks for sharing this journey with me!_


	24. Chapter 24

I don't own Blindspot or any of these characters…

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Jane woke up with a grimace. She'd declined being admitted at the hospital and they'd sent her home with strict instructions and pain medication. Kurt had been quiet on the drive home. Once they'd arrived he'd insisted on joining her in the shower. For the first time in their relationship he'd been almost clinical in the process of getting her clean. After just a few minutes she'd been standing there while he dried her with brisk efficiency.

"What's going on?" She asked him quietly.

Looking at the bruising discoloration of the majority of her body, Kurt didn't really feel that explanations were necessary.

"Kurt?" Jane stopped his gentle blotting.

"Did you even know if you were going to make the stairs?" Kurt finally asked her the question that had been plaguing him.

"My eyes had adjusted to the dark," Jane assured him, "I knew when you had them in place."

"You fell to keep me from coming up for you," Kurt accused her.

She couldn't even deny his claim. It had definitely been a part of her decision.

"I wouldn't have been able to hold on much longer anyway," Jane denied.

He didn't say anymore, just picked her up and walked over to the bed. He placed her under the covers gently. When he stood back up, she asked in surprised, "Aren't you going to lay down with me?"

"No," Kurt denied, "Try to get some sleep. I'm going to see what Reed and Tasha found."

She watched him go with worried eyes.

Now, hours later, darkness had fallen and he still wasn't beside her. She pushed the covers aside and took a deep breath before she stood. Grabbing his shirt off the chair she pulled it on, but didn't bother to button it. Moving toward the bedroom door she stopped to listen, making sure they didn't have company. When silence met her ears, she opened the door and walked toward the living room.

She found him on the couch. He was asleep, but on the table next to him was a mostly empty bottle of alcohol and a lone glass. She looked at him tenderly before taking the blanket off the back and placing it over him. She couldn't resist soothing his troubled forehead. Even in sleep he worried.

Moving into the kitchen she reached for a drink from the fridge and grabbed her medication. She found the sandwich he'd made her and smiled. Picking it up, she headed back toward the bedroom so she didn't wake him.

She buttoned a couple of the buttons and sank down in the chair by the window. Taking the plastic wrap off her sandwich, she took a bite while staring out at the twinkling lights. She was worried about Kurt. He was determined to protect everyone around him, while doing one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. It was a recipe for disaster and he was going to end up getting killed trying to keep everyone safe. She placed the sandwich down when her stomach twisted in panic. She couldn't lose him.

Reaching for the medication she read the label before discarding it as well.

"Are you okay?" Kurt worried from the behind her.

She jumped.

"I'm sorry," Jane turned toward him, "Did I wake you?"

"Maybe," Kurt admitted, "I'm not sure what woke me. Thanks for the blanket."

"You should have come to bed," Jane chided.

"I didn't want to hurt you," Kurt explained, "I…reach for you when I sleep. With your ribs…"

"I'm willing to risk it," Jane admitted. "I…don't sleep very well without you."

"You found the sandwich," Kurt said coming down to kneel next to her chair, his hand finding her knee.

"It's good," Jane agreed.

"You didn't eat enough," Kurt denied. "Did you take you meds?"

"No," Jane denied, "They're just for pain."

"So that you can rest," Kurt insisted, "And heal."

Reaching for the bottle he turned it toward her and quoted it without reading. "Take with food."

She knew defeat when she saw it. He was the most stubborn man she'd ever met. Reaching for the sandwich she ate until it was gone. He provided her the pill without word and she took it.

"Sleep with me?" Jane requested.

"Well…" He finally conceded, "If you lay against me I won't need to reach for you."

"It's a deal." Jane agreed with a smile.

She went to the bathroom and got ready for bed. He was already laying down when she returned. Unbuttoning the shirt she climbed in beside him and he gently arranged her.

"Okay?" He worried.

"Perfect," She agreed, kissing his chest.

He kissed her forehead and threaded his fingers through her hair.

"Love you," He whispered.

"Love you," She smiled, physically uncomfortable, but emotionally content.

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Roman had been included in the reinforcements to the op. He'd arrived in time to see the ambulance with his sister and Weller pull away. He watched with troubled eyes before joining the others clearing the site. Once the building had been confirmed to be safe he began searching for evidence. Reed and Tasha were together, but he didn't join them. In truth he was angry. They'd left him behind and he knew he could have made a difference in the outcome. He hadn't been given the chance.

Jane's weapon was still lying at the bottom of the steps. He reached for it and it was only as he went to stand that he realized that Reed and Zapata had come over to him.

"She's going to be okay." Zapata assured him.

Roman looked up at her and demanded, "Why didn't you include Kurt and I in the op?"

"Kurt was in a meeting and you'd gone to pick-up lunch," Reed explained.

"What was the hurry?" Roman demanded impatiently.

"Patterson discovered the address in one of the new tattoos, but pulling up surveillance pictures for the last few months, she discovered that this place is abandoned the majority of the time. They generally only use it a few hours at a time, weeks apart. When she pulled it up this morning, there was activity and we knew if we didn't take it, it could be weeks before we get another chance."

Roman listened to the explanation and nodded his acceptance. So it hadn't been because they didn't trust him. He refused to admit feeling relieved, even if he knew that's what this feeling was.

"What were they doing when you entered the building?" He asked Tasha looking around at the empty room.

"Loading that van," She explained.

"What's inside?" Roman began walking toward it.

"We don't' know yet," Reed denied.

He pulled the back door opened ant the three of them looked inside to see weapons. Military assault rifles, IED, various types of military ordnance, filled the interior of the vehicle.

"Glad nobody shot this," Roman observed dryly.

Reed and Tasha shared a look.

"There were four shooters," Tasha told Roman.

"Well, all of them weren't going to fit into this van," Reed realized.

"This means we have at least one second vehicle with possible evidence somewhere close." Roman agreed.

"Let's try to identify the shooters with what they were driving." Reed suggested.

"So operation check for keys is a go," Roman agreed, moving toward the man that had plunged from the rafters.

Roman didn't show any type of reaction to the dead man. He reached down and withdrew his wallet and keys. Standing up he held the evidence for the technician taking pictures before flipping the wallet over and opening it. His frown was fierce, when he looked up at the others.

"What is it?" Tasha worried at his expression.

Roman turned the wallet toward them and she gasped at the CIA credentials.

"I identified myself as FBI," Tasha protested, "He was the last shooter. If he'd been undercover, he could have notified us. He's the one that shot Jane."

Looking down at the keys, Roman said, "These aren't for the van."

Reed walked over and grabbed an evidence bag and gave it to Roman. "Let's mark these and get the others before we go looking. That way we won't spend the rest of the night wondering the neighborhood just asking to get shot."

That made Roman smile.

Of the three other shooters two had keys. One was the key to the van and the other of unknown origin. None of the others were federal employees.

Patterson had taken down the names of each of the men and was running a background check on them. Stewart was running the serial numbers on the weapons and Rich was working the license plate angle.

"Why don't Reed and I go looking for the two other vehicles," Roman suggested to Tasha, "While you see if you can find anything else that might shed some light on what exactly is going on here."

"Let me know what you find," Tasha agreed easily.

Reed shot Roman a grateful look at his suggestion. This was not the best side of town and with the sun going down… activity in the neighborhood was bound to pick up. The last thing he wanted was to send Tasha wandering around outside in the dark. She was very noticeable and there'd been enough shooting for one day. Realizing that Roman must have been subtly watching out for his sister all of these years, Reed felt a kinship with him. Stubbornly beautiful women full of strength and determination were hard to keep safe.

The first car was ease enough to find, it was parked outside the door. Looking through it briefly, they tagged it for towing and moved on.

The second vehicle was two blocks over. This was obviously the CIA agent's vehicle. In the trunk was his vest and assault rifle. Roman slammed the lid and moved toward the driver's door. Reed began going through the glove box and Roman checked under the seat and in the side door.

"Bingo," Reed told Roman holding up

Roman frowned and said, "He had NSA credentials too?"

"I thought it was odd that an undercover operative would carry his credentials," Reed admitted, "He can't be both CIA and NSA."

Roman pulled something from the pocket of the door, "What about FBI?" Roman said holding up the badge.

"These are impressive forgeries," Reed took the FBI credentials and studied them closely.

"Three o'clock," Roman warned Reed watching a group of men approach.

Reed turned toward them fully.

"Whatcha got there?" The leader demanded.

"An FBI Badge," Reed told them, "Kind of like this one..." He pulled out his credentials and warned them.

"That doesn't mean shit to me," The man denied.

Roman walked around and joined Reed.

"What about you?" The leader looked at Roman.

"No badge holding me back," Roman warned him.

"Can't you count?" The man looked at Roman in challenge turning to the group of six men behind him with a smirk.

"I've had a really shitty day," Roman warned him, "I can either hit the gym later or hit you now…makes me no never mind."

The leader stepped forward aggressively, "What did you say to me?"

Roman stepped forward to meet him, "I said I was going to kick your ass."

Reed hadn't thought anyone was more aggressive than Zapata…until now.

"Now hold up," Reed tried to interject calm into the situation.

"This is between me and him," The leader warned Reed, "Stay out of it."

"Well, that's not going to happen," Reed denied.

Just as things were going to go from bad to worse, Zapata drew their attention.

"I can't take my eyes off you for a minute." She charged.

Looking over the leader stiffened when he saw the weapon she was pointing at him.

"Listen chica," He held up his hands.

"No," Zapata denied, "You listen. You have ten seconds to get out of my sight before I get really pissed. Anyone alive after that is going to jail."

The men didn't test her. Even Roman was impressed with her threat.

"I thought you were going to stay in with the forensic team," Reed insisted once there were alone.

"No," She denied, "That's where you wanted me to be."

"What's the difference?" Reed asked in frustration.

"Missing teeth and hospitalization," Zapata reminded him.

"We had this," Reed insisted.

"Oh," Zapata taunted, "I'm sorry did I ruin all your fun?"

Watching her turn away Roman looked over at Reed and asked, "Is she always like this?"

"You have no idea," Reed watched the tow truck pull up with a little smile.

"So you want to hit the gym later?" Roman asked him.

"I'm not sparring you," Reed denied.

"It will make you feel better," Roman suggested.

"I doubt that," Reed actually laughed in disbelief.

"Don't make me ask Zapata" Roman insisted.

"I'd actually pay to see that," Reed laughed.

"I thought you liked her," Roman frowned.

"Seeing her kick your ass would be fun," Reed explained.

"I don't lose." Roman denied.

"Not even to Jane?" Reed asked with a quizzical expression.

"Well…" Roman hesitated, "Maybe to Jane."

"So are you going to ask her?" Reed demanded.

"You really think she's that good?" Roman watched Zapata walk away with speculation.

"Oh," Reed agreed, "She's good."

"Maybe I will then," Roman agreed.

Mentally Reed weighed the odds. Roman might have been a child soldier raised by a terrorist, but his money was still on Zapata. That type of vicious had to be born, not breed. This was going to be fun…


	25. Chapter 25

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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"What happened to your face?" Jane asked Roman with a frown.

Roman looked away uncomfortably while the other's laughed.

"What?" Kurt looked around suspiciously.

"I might have sparred with Tasha," Roman admitted, a little smile contrasting with his newly black eye.

Jane had to look down to hide her smile.

Kurt didn't bother, "How'd that go?"

"She's…pretty good," Roman reluctantly admitted.

"She kicked his ass," Rich called from the corner.

"She landed a few good hits," Roman admitted.

"Kicked it…"Rich insisted still not looking up from his computer monitor, "Want to see the video?"

"Rich," Roman warned him, exasperated.

"I offered to play nurse," Rich admitted, "But he says he's not into that…pity."

Now Roman had a red face and black eye. Jane couldn't help it she laughed right in his face.

Kurt turned to her and his face at the sound of her joy had the others looking away with smiles.

 _They are way too cute._ Patterson thought with a smile.

"So three of the gunmen yesterday were you common variety thugs," Kurt forced himself to reel the conversation back in.

"The third one," Patterson pulled up a picture of Jared Pernard, "Had credentials for the NSA, FBI and CIA in his possession."

"So is affiliated with any of those organizations?" Jane asked looking at the man that almost killed her.

"He is," Patterson explained, pulling up his file she told them, "He's CIA."

"So was he working deep cover?" Kurt demanded.

"No," Tasha insisted, "I identified myself and he was the last gunman. If he'd been undercover, he wouldn't have waited until the other's fell to start shooting."

"So he's corrupt." Kurt confirmed.

"He was," Keaton said from the doorway.

Jane immediately stiffened.

Turning toward the door, but taking a step closer to Jane, Kurt greeted him, "Keaton."

"Weller," Keeton returned the greeting.

"Did you know about this?" Tasha demanded.

"I knew we had a leak," Keaton denied, "I didn't know who it was."

"Where'd the weapons come from?" Reed demanded.

Stewart knew the answer to this question, but waited to see if the CIA agent would tell them.

"They were stolen from our weapon seizure cache." Keaton admitted.

"Was this the first sale?" Stewart asked…that he didn't know.

"No," Keaton denied, "We've had things go missing for six months. It wasn't always weapons. Sometimes it was drugs, sometimes intel, once even cash."

"He was carrying these," Patterson approached Keaton with the NSA and FBI credentials, "Any idea where he could have gotten them?"

Keaton looked down at them and his face became fierce.

"No way could he have done this himself," He denied, "He must be working with someone else."

"Likely suspects?" Kurt demanded.

"Someone technical…with clout." Keaton shook his head in frustration, "I have a whole department of people it could be."

"I'm going to need a list of everyone capable of producing these documents," Patterson told him.

"You'll get it," Keaton agreed. "Now tell me how you found him."

The team looked to Kurt.

Kurt looked at Jane.

"Through a tattoo," She admitted. She might hate Keaton and someone in the government was trying to kill her, but she knew it wasn't him. He'd had ample opportunity to do it if he wanted to…and he hadn't.

"How is that possible?" Keaton demanded in confusion, "Your tattoos are over three years old, how could Sheppard have known about anything that was going to happen yesterday?"

"You know that someone is trying to kill Jane," Kurt looked at Keaton seriously.

"I know," Keaton agreed, "I have a team on it."

"Call them off," Kurt urged him.

"What?" Keaton said in disbelief.

"The hit on Jane came from inside the government," Kurt explained.

" _What?_ " Keaton demanded with a hard look.

"The payout for the hit on Jane came from a government server, using government code." Patterson told him.

"Who?" Keaton demanded, "Do you think it was Pernard?"

"We don't know," Kurt admitted, "But he's unlikely to be the suspect since the tattoos implicated him."

"Okay," Keaton looked around the room, "Clearly there is something about the tattoos that I don't know."

"When Jane was shot at our wedding, they kept her in a drug induced coma," Kurt explained, "And while she was unconscious, someone tattooed her."

Keaton's shocked eyes flew to Jane, "Where? She's already covered from head to toe."

"They used invisible ink," Jane explained.

"So you need…what, some type of light source to see them?" Keaton clarified.

"No," Jane denied, "A key."

"Where'd you get the key?" Keaton demanded.

"It was left for us." Kurt explained the events that led up to yesterday's raid.

"So it's starting again," Keaton ran his hands through his hair in agitation.

"This cannot get out," Kurt told Keaton bluntly, "We can't have a file on it anywhere, not even here."

"What do you need?" Keaton didn't argue.

"Intel," Kurt explained, "And discretion."

"You've got it." Keaton agreed.

"We think that Nas was the one that tattooed Jane," Kurt admitted.

"Is that why she was killed?" Keaton immediately saw the connection.

"We don't know," Kurt admitted, "But the night she died, Jane was unconscious in the trunk of her car."

"That wasn't in the report." Keaton realized.

"It's a cover-up," Reed agreed, "We know why we didn't want that information in there, but someone at the NSA didn't either."

"A rouge agent?" Keaton shook his head, "Nobody at the NSA wanted that information in the file."

"So you'll keep this to yourself?" Kurt demanded.

"Of course," Keaton agreed. Looking toward the back of the room he called out, "Is that Rich Dot Com?"

Rich looked up reluctantly.

"Keaton," He greeted him.

"I will protect Jane Weller with my life and this Intel will never leave my lips…please don't fuck with me." Keaton warned him.

"What do you mean?" Rich asked innocently.

"I know what's happening to Trent," Keaton admitted, "I didn't realize it was you until I saw you here. I have just finally been able to put my life back together after your little blitz two years ago. I will do _nothing…ever_ to hurt Jane, so spare me, okay?"

"Then you have nothing to worry about," Rich assured him.

"You messed with Keaton?" Kurt demanded confirmation.

"I really don't know what he's talking about," Rich denied.

"But..." Patterson protested, "He was in prison."

"He posted doctored pictures of me on social media, listed my house for sale while I was out of the country…then sold it, cancelled all of my credit cards, signed me up for a niche dating site and downgraded my security clearance, flooded my phone with pornography and sent my letter of resignation to the President of the United States." Keaton explained.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rich insisted.

"Jane you're looking really good today," Roman told her.

The others realized that he was trying to ensure he remained in Rich's good graces and laughed. Even Keaton smiled.

Rich just turned back to his computer screen and kept typing.

The other's shared a look of concern, before shifting uncomfortably.

"I'm gonna go," Keaton said, "Let me know what you need, I will handle this personally."

"Thank you," Jane told him looking away.

"Jane," Keaton hesitated with a worried look at Rich, "I'm sorry about what happened. I was doing the job they told me to do. I didn't know you, you never said a word the entire time we had you, I'm sorry. Knowing who you are now…who you were then…makes me sick when I realized all that you went through. Kurt trusted you completely and I could never understand why he was so certain…but I understand it now. I trust you Jane and I will never do anything to hurt you."

Jane looked up and read the sincerity in his eyes before nodding to him with a little smile.

"Thanks," She whispered.

"Let me know," Keaton turned and left.

Kurt put his arm around Jane and smiled down at her.

Turning he looked over at Rich.

"Stop doing that," He warned him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rich denied, his fingers flying over the keys.

Kurt signed and shook his head.

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Jane was in the locker room putting her jacket up when Tasha approached her.

"So you nailed him pretty good," Jane smiled over at her.

"I can barely move," Tasha whispered.

"What?" Jane leaned it to hear her.

"I've never worked harder at anything in my life," Tasha admitted.

"Well he fights to win," Jane smiled.

"You've been going easy on me," Tasha accused her.

"No I haven't," Jane denied.

"I think Roman was holding back as well," Tasha admitted.

"Why would he do that?"

"That's what I want you to tell me," Tasha insisted.

Jane stopped what she was doing and looked over at Tasha seriously.

"What?" Tasha demanded.

"Have you ever killed anyone with your bare hands?" Jane asked her.

"No, I'm supposed to arrest them," Tasha reminded her.

"We have," Jane explained.

"I know that," Tasha said seriously.

"We hold back when we spar," Jane admitted, "Because if we don't exercise absolute control…if we ever let ourselves go…people die."

"Jane," Tasha placed a hand on her arm.

"It's okay," Jane assured her, "I just wanted you to understand that it isn't because we don't respect your abilities or know you can handle yourself. It's because, we care about you and we can't ignore what we can do…what we are."

"What you are is incredible," Tasha insisted, "And as soon as your ribs heal…you have got to teach me this one maneuver."

Jane listened to the description of what Tasha wanted her to show her and knew exactly what she meant.

"I will," Jane assured her, "I promise."

"One day I really will kick his ass," She said in determination.

Jane didn't doubt her for a second.

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The day was only half over and Jane could easily admit that she was done. She hadn't taken her medicine this morning, because it made her tired. Well, the pain was wearing her down _and_ she was tired. She didn't want to go to Kurt, because she knew he would immediately send her home and she didn't want to go home without him.

Roman walked over to where she was sitting.

"I know that look," He sat down next to her.

"What look?" Jane asked him.

"Your determined look," He explained.

"I'm tired," Jane admitted wilting against him, "But I don't want to go home and if I tell anyone, Kurt will send me home."

"What's wrong with that?" He asked with a smile.

"I don't want to be alone," Jane explained.

"You want to be where Kurt is," Roman corrected her.

"Yes," Jane agreed.

"Why don't you sleep on the couch in his office?" Roman suggested.

"I don't want to distract him," Jane explained, "It isn't exactly professional to have you wife sleeping in your office."

"He won't mind," Roman said with certainty.

"I mind," Jane denied, "Can you imagine the conversation if Hirst comes in to see him?"

"After everything that's happened, she wouldn't be surprised." Roman insisted.

"No," Jane denied.

"Stubborn," Roman accused.

"If I could just hide for like thirty minutes," Jane said wistfully.

Roman looked toward his desk at the back of the room.

"Come with me," He told her standing up and extending his hand.

She took it and let him pull her up.

His work station was in the back of the room, the desk sturdy and wooden. Turned toward the wall he liked it because it kept his back protected and the heavy wood would provide cover. It also created a privacy he'd been using on the sly.

Jane followed him back and looked under the desk to see the pillow and blanket he had stashed there.

"Why do you have these?" She asked with a puzzled frown.

"I have trouble sleeping sometimes," Roman admitted, "So I come here."

"Bad memories at the safe house?" She worried.

"Sometimes," He agreed.

"Kurt said that we could move you," Jane offered.

"No," Roman denied, "I think having to face what happened is important."

"Are you sure?" She worried.

"Yeah," He agreed, "But for now, the space is yours if you want it."

Jane was tempted. She accepted the pillow and climbed into the dark little space with a sigh of relief.

Roman covered her with the blanket and then sat in the chair to continue drilling down through the information Keaton had sent over on Pernard.

She was asleep within moments and he looked down at her with a little smile.

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Kurt had completed a mound of paperwork and sat through two meetings, all before lunch. He was beginning to get antsy because he hadn't seen Jane in a couple of hours. She usually stopped by several times during the morning. He didn't know if she did it because she needed to see him as much as he needed to see her, or if she did it just for him. Whatever the reason was, he looked forward to those moments and today he'd been denied them and it was time for him to go looking.

He started in the bullpen to no avail. He moved on to the locker room and that also was a bust. He headed down to Patterson's lab and it didn't take but a glance to see that she wasn't there. Heading across the hall he spied Roman and Rich, but no sign of Jane. By now his heart had begun to race. _Where was she?_

He pulled out his phone and contacted her detail.

"Where's Jane?" He demanded when they answered.

"She's at the NYO," The agent said in confusion.

"So she didn't leave with you?" Kurt demanded.

"No sir, we haven't seen her since you both arrived this morning. She never called us to say she was going out."

Kurt hung up and headed straight for Patterson.

"What's wrong?" She asked once she got a look at his face.

"I can't find Jane," Kurt told her, "I need you to trace her phone."

Patterson was immediately concerned.

She began typing and after a moment she looked over at Kurt in confusion, "It says she's here in the office."

"I've checked everywhere," Kurt argued, "She's not here."

His voice had risen and suddenly Roman was standing in the door.

"Are you looking for Jane?" He verified.

"Yeah," Kurt advance toward him, "Have you see her?"

"She wasn't feeling well," Roman explained, "So I let her lay down underneath my desk."

Kurt headed that way immediately. He needed to see her. Reassure himself that she was okay.

Pulling Roman's chair away from the desk, he saw her. She was sleeping deeply. Squatting down he smiled at the picture she made.

"Why didn't she come to my office?" Kurt asked Roman with a frown.

"She was worried she'd be in the way. She said it wasn't professional for her to be there and that she didn't want to distract you." Roman explained.

Thinking about all the time he had just spent looking for her he could only marvel at her logic. If anything having her close would have made him more effective.

Suddenly her eyes opened sleepily and she saw him before her. The smile that she gifted him ensured that his heart rate that had just begun to settle sped up again.

"Hey sleepyhead," He greeted her.

"What time is it?" She worried trying to sit up with a wince.

"Around 2," Kurt told her. He immediately assisted her, but he didn't stop there. Before she even realize what he intended he had her out from under the desk and into his arms. Standing he lifted her up and settled her onto Roman's chair gently.

"Roman said you weren't feeling well," Kurt worried.

"I was just sore and really tired," Jane explained.

"Why didn't you head home?" He worried.

"I didn't want to be alone," She explained.

"No," Roman denied, "She wanted to be where you were."

Kurt turned back to Jane. "I think I can make both of those things happen."

"What?" She asked still not completely wake.

"I don't have any more meetings scheduled and I've caught up on all my paperwork, let's call it a day." Kurt suggested.

"Now?" She smiled.

"Right now," He agreed.

She would have to lie is she didn't admit she was relieved.

Pulling her up he wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her away.

Roman heard him worrying about whether or not she'd eaten lunch as they left and he smiled.

Things were looking up.


	26. Chapter 26

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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Jane stood in the bathroom, naked, the shower still running and stared in the mirror.

Kurt was waiting on her, but she stood dripping, lost in her thoughts. She didn't know how long she'd been standing there, but it must have been long enough that he came looking for her.

"Jane?" He worried stepping into the room.

Jane immediately jumped and picked up the towel from the counter and held it to her chest.

That action alone had Kurt frowning at her in concern.

"What's going on?" He worried.

"Nothing," Jane hastily assured him, "I'm almost ready."

Kurt reached in and turned off the shower before moving over to her.

"No you're not," He teased, attempting to take the towel from her to dry her back.

When she held it more tightly, he let his hand fall, but stepped closer.

"Tell me," He demanded.

"I…." Jane almost couldn't say it.

"You…" He encouraged.

"I found a lump…"She whispered.

"What?" He didn't understand.

"A lump," She said again.

His eyes went from puzzled to panic in a blink.

"Let me see," He demanded, reaching for the towel once more.

She reluctantly let it go.

"Where?" He demanded, his hand hovering over her…afraid.

She reached out and guided his hand to the abnormality. He pressed gently, afraid to hurt her and he felt it.

"Does it hurt?" Kurt worried, looking up into her face.

"No," Jane denied, her eyes distraught.

"We need to get this checked," He insisted, pulling her wet body against him tightly.

"I'll see when they can schedule me," Jane agreed.

"No," Kurt denied, "We get an appointment today."

"I'll try," Jane agreed.

"You finished getting ready," Kurt insisted, "I'll make the call."

Jane nodded in agreement and watched him go with troubled frown.

Kurt left the bathroom and walked as far as the bed before his legs gave out. Sinking down he rested his head in his hands and closed his eyes. He could still see Jane, holding the urn against her chest in the cemetery. Dodi had all that radioactive material in it. Had it happened then?

Every time they went out on missions, he worried he would lose her. Never, would he have ever guessed, something like this could happen.

He reached for him phone, but he didn't call the doctor's office, he called Patterson.

"Hey Kurt," She greeted him.

"I need your help," Kurt said seriously.

She knew by the tone of his voice this was important.

"Whatever you need."

"I need for Jane to see the doctor today." Kurt insisted, "First thing."

"What doctor?" Patterson said with a smile. Could there be a little Weller on the way?

"Jane…she found a lump." Kurt told her.

Her smile disappeared.

"A lump?" She demanded.

"Yeah."

She redialed Kurt's number, "You get it?"

"You need to be there in twenty minutes," Patterson warned him and passed along the address and scheduling information.

"Thanks," Kurt told her before he hung up.

Patterson looked down at the phone in her hand and closed her eyes shaking her head. This couldn't be happening.

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"You didn't have to come with me," Jane told Kurt.

He was holding her hand so tightly she almost felt uncomfortable. When she squeezed his back in reassurance, he seemed to become aware of what he was doing.

"Sorry," he told her relaxing his grip, but not releasing her.

"It didn't hurt," She assured him.

"Of course I was coming," Kurt told her.

"I could be nothing," Jane tried to reassure him.

Kurt didn't say anything.

"Jane Weller?"

Jane stood up and Kurt placed a guiding hand on her back as they followed the nurse back to the examination room.

The nurse took her weight and blood pressure. Measured her temperature and asked some questions.

"Why are you here today?" She verified.

"I found a lump in my breast," Jane explained.

"When was your last annual physical?" She asked.

"I…" Jane trailed off. She couldn't remember ever having one.

"That long huh?" The nurse smiled at her, "We'll just do the full work up."

Kurt listened and realized that he hadn't been doing a very good job of taking care of the most necessary part of his life.

"Okay," The nurse smiled at her in reassurance, "I'm going to give you something to change into."

Jane accepted the gown as the nurse told her, "Everything off."

After the nurse left, Jane stood and began to disrobe. Kurt began to assist her.

"That's okay," Jane placed her hand on his cheek, "I've got it."

He reluctantly stood back and watched her, his expression laser intent.

"We don't know that anything is wrong yet," Jane insisted.

Once she was covered, Kurt lifted her up on the edge of the examination table and moved between her knees.

"No matter what they tell us," He put both hands on either side of her face and lifted it so that their eyes met, "We are in this together."

She gave him a trembling smile and he leaned down to salute her lips.

There was a brief knock at the door before it opened.

"Now," The Doctor discouraged, "None of that."

Kurt moved aside while the Doctor introduced herself.

"I see in your chart that you're here because you found a lump?" The doctor smiled over at Jane kindly.

"Yes," Jane agreed.

"When did you first notice it?" The Doctor asked her.

"Just this morning." Jane explained.

"Let's take a look," The Doctor laid down the examination table and pulled out the leg extension. Jane lay back and the doctor told her to place her hands behind her neck.

When she found the lump, she pressed and rotated.

"Does it hurt?" She asked Jane.

"No." Jane assured her.

Looking at the still fading discoloration on her ribs, the Doctor asked her, "Have you been in an accident recently?"

"I fell and broke two of my ribs." Jane explained.

The Doctor continued with the examination and Jane answered her questions, while Kurt stood silent vigil.

"I'm going to send you for a mammogram and an ultrasound," The Doctor told Jane.

"How long until we know something?" Kurt demanded.

"The radiology department is just downstairs," The Doctor assured them. "They take walk-ins and will send me the results immediately. Once I get them, depending on what they show, I'm going to want to do a biopsy."

"You can do all that today?" Kurt demanded.

"Yes," The doctor assured them. "Whoever made your appointment, booked you in three time slots today, so there shouldn't be any problem."

Kurt made a mental note to buy Patterson some flowers.

"When will the results come back?" Jane worried.

"It will take a couple of days to get the results from the pap-smear and biopsy." The Doctor advised, "But I will have our office call you the minute we get them."

Once the Doctor left, Kurt watched Jane change back into her regular clothes.

They'd faced countless enemies, and Jane had seemed almost close to invincible. What would happen if that body that would never stopped turned on her? Who would win that battle?

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That day was a total loss. They spent the day being shuffled from office to office. Hurrying to wait, knowing that no answers were coming.

They arrived back home, late in the afternoon. Patterson arrived early evening.

"What did they say?" She demanded when Kurt opened the door.

"They did a biopsy," Kurt told her, "We won't know for a couple of days."

"Thanks for booking the appointment," Jane said, coming out of the bedroom.

Patterson moved over to her side immediately and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"It will be okay," She insisted.

Just then there was a knock on the door.

Kurt opened it to find the rest of the team outside.

"What's going on?" Tasha demanded as she stepped around Kurt.

As they filed in Kurt and Jane shared a look.

"Neither one of you came in today. Patterson has been emotional, so we know somethings up." Reed insisted.

Roman was watching Kurt and Jane silently. The only two missing were Stewart and Rich.

"I found a lump and went in for a biopsy," Jane explained.

Clearly her words stunned them all. It was so different from anything they'd been expecting to hear, that it almost seemed confusing.

"When will you know?" Tasha asked, her voice quavering.

"Not for a couple of days." Kurt answered her.

"So what else could it be?" Reed demanded.

"It could be a lot of things," Kurt explained. Then he went on to explain about cysts and hormone imbalances and Jane realized that while he'd been waiting on her, Kurt had become an expert in this topic. She walked over to him and wrapped an arm around him.

He squeezed her tightly.

"So now what?" Roman demanded…tense.

"We wait," Jane explained.

"Well, we aren't waiting like this," Patterson insisted at the charged silence.

"What do you suggest?" Jane smiled over at her.

"Family game night…obviously." Patterson insisted.

"I'll order the pizza," Tasha agreed.

"I'll go grab the drinks," Reed offered.

"I'll go with you," Roman told him.

Patterson went over to the game closet and began rummaging around. When she pulled out…most the game, Kurt realized that this was going to be a marathon session. Looking down at Jane he found her looking up at him with a little smile.

"I'm on your team," Kurt told her with a frown. Last time they'd been split and he hadn't liked that at all.  
"Always," Jane agreed at his determined expression.

He leaned down and stole a kiss before going over to help Patterson plunder the closet. Jane watched him whisper something to Patterson that had her looking up at him with a misty expression before he leaned down and lifted her clear off the ground. She hugged him back with a protesting laugh. Jane loved her family. Tasha joined her after placing the order.

"Oh, please," She told Jane, "If it turns out to be cancer, you'll probably just cure it."

Jane nudged her with her shoulder and shot her an exasperated look.

Tasha became serious for a moment, "We've got your back," she assured Jane grabbing her hand.

Jane used the contact to pull her into an embrace that she protested loudly, but clung to in silence. It was going to be okay.

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Jane sat on the couch in Kurt's office. She hadn't been more than two feet from him for the last two days. It was as if the threat of being separated and created a need in them that couldn't be denied.

Suddenly the door burst opened and Rich came inside.

"I have the results!" He exclaimed.

"For what?" Kurt demanded, standing.

"Jane's biopsy," Rich said in excitement.

Kurt knew the question should be how…but he didn't even remotely care about that right now.  
"What is it?"  
Jane stood up too and moved over to Kurt's side. Taking his hand she waited for whatever Rich had discovered.

"It's not cancer!" He assured them with a relieved little laugh.

"Then what?" Kurt looked down at Jane and the relief written on his face was mirrored in hers.

"It's Traumatic Fat Necrosis," Rich explained.

"What?" Kurt said blankly, he'd never heard of that.

"When a breast gets injured, say from a fall, some of the fat membranes can die and produce a fluid filled oily cyst." Rich explained.

"So how is that treated?" Kurt demanded, worried that she would need surgery.

"Sometimes," Rich explained, "Warm compresses and gentle messages are enough to help break it down. I can help you with that…" He looked over at Jane with a come hither expression.

"Rich," Kurt warned him.

"Okay…okay," He went on, "Sometimes the fluid needs to be drained by a syringe and sometimes, in severe cases, surgery is required."

Kurt reached over and pulled Jane into his arms and held her tightly.

Watching them with a little smiled, Rich said, "I'm just going to go and tell the others."

Jane held onto Kurt and closed her eyes tightly. It _was_ going to be okay she realized.

When she felt his shoulders shaking, she thought he was laughing in relief, until she realized he wasn't.

"Kurt," She worried her hand on the back of his head, his head buried in her neck.

When he pulled back to look down at her she realized that he was crying.

"I thought I was going to lose you again," He admitted, unashamed of his reaction.

Wiping the tears away, Jane reassured him, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Promise me," He insisted, needing to hear it.

"I promise," She told him, knowing that no matter what it took, she wouldn't break it.

He leaned down and kissed her with a desperation that they both knew only too well. Pulling back he finally smiled down at her in relief.

When the Doctor finally called and confirmed Rich's diagnosis, Kurt and Jane were already at home, warm compress in place. Kurt doing his part for the healing process he insisted and looking up into his teasing expression, Jane knew he was all she would ever really need.


	27. Chapter 27

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

Okay…I realize that I have pretty much abandoned Cade's Return. I didn't mean to, but it is becoming evident that I do not have the ability to work on multiple stories at the same time. I started Jeller Fluff because I was having writers block…then it was so much fun, I kept going. Then the show went on and I had to address the time jump…and here we are. I will try to wind up this story line and go back and re-read Cade's Return to see if inspiration strikes once again.

I can already tell you that with the Blindspot Challenge going on, I am majorly distracted…too much good stuff out there. I would participate in the challenge…but there's a rumor going around that I cannot concentrate on multiple story arcs at the same time…so I will just have to appreciate it from afar. I am grateful to those of you that are participating…you are making my day soooo much better. I'll just keep plucking along here and see where it takes us. Thanks for being patient.

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Jane sat next to Patterson and looked at the new tattoo database.

They'd had solved several of the tattoos and made numerous arrests, but were no closer to finding out just who was trying to kill her.

"What are you doing?" Patterson asked smiling over at her.

"Trying to figure out how we can track down the person that ordered the hit." Jane told her.

"Rich is on it," Patterson assured her.

"I know," Jane agreed, "Do we know if another hits been taken out?"

"No," Patterson assured her, grabbing her shoulder and squeezing. "We would have warned you if that happened."

"I know," Jane said after a moment.

"Okay," Patterson turned to face her fully, "What gives?"

"I'm worried about Kurt," Jane admitted with a troubled frown.

"Why? What's wrong with him?" Patterson demanded.

"He's not sleeping." Jane explained, "He lies down with me at night, but I've woken up several times to find him out of bed and working on his computer."

"What's he doing?" Patterson shook her head.

"He's studying the database," Jane explained, "It's like if he stares at it long enough…the answers will appear just like the new tattoos."

"He's just worried about you," Patterson assured her, "After everything that's happened, you kind of have to expect it."

"We go out in the field all the time," Jane argued, "What happens when his lack of sleep finally catches up with him?"

"Well…" Patterson pointed out, "He's not going to send you out without him."

"He might have to," Rich said from behind them.

Jane turned around to study his serious face.

"Did you find something?" Jane asked hopefully.

"I have a contact…on the shady side… that has some information that I'm going need." He told them.

"So what's the problem?" Patterson asked.

"I might or might not owe him a favor," Rich admitted, "If I want him to help us…and I really do…I'm going to have to do something for him."

"What?" Patterson was becoming concerned. If this made Rich uncomfortable, then God help them.

"He has these little "parties" in the middle of generally nowhere." Rich explained. "The guest list is always a who's who of people you wouldn't want to meet in a back alley. Then he plays a little game. It's kind of like a scavenger hunt on steroids. He gives you clues and whoever is the last to return with what he wants, is dead. This is his way of controlling his environment."

"Why would _anyone_ go?" Patterson said in confusion.

"Well," Rich explained, "They don't know why they're going out there. I found out about it quite by accident. He doesn't know I know…and to get the information I need from him, I need to participate in his next little gathering."

"What could you possibly need that much?" Patterson asked bluntly.

"Remember several years ago, when Dario Navanavich was killed before he could complete the mathematical formula required to hack into military satellites?" Rich asked Patterson.

"Yeah," She said sarcastically, "That was a sad loss for us all."

"He did complete it," Rich explained.

" _What?"_ Patterson looked sick. "Why hadn't it been used?"

"Because the missing code," Rich explained, "Is being held by Navanavich."

"And you want us to help you get this code?" Patterson demanded.

"No," Rich denied, "I just was giving you a reason that you would want to take this risk. What I need is far simpler. He has built a back door into the NSA database and if I use his software and his hack, it can't be traced back to us."

"So you want to accept his invitation to this "party" so that you can hack into his computer and access the NSA and you think that we will agree because you know that we have to get this code out of his hands before it's used as a weapon against our military?" Patterson clarified.

"I don't want you to just let me go," Rich explained, "I need an accomplice to help me win."

"Win what?" Patterson asked suspiciously.

"The opportunity to leave there alive." Rich reminded her.

"Where is this all taking place?" Patterson demanded.

"I don't know," Rich denied.

"You aren't saying you want _Jane_ to go with you," Patterson insisted.

"She's the only one here that doesn't look like FBI and she's more than capable of handling herself." Rich insisted.

"What about Roman?" Patterson suggested.

"Well…" Rich thought about it, "He doesn't come across as FBI, but Jane could distract my contact and keep him off his game."

"Distract him…how?" Patterson was scowling.

"He's a notorious womanizer," Rich explained, "Jane will give us a huge advantage, plus Roman would just kill him after about the first hour."

"No way," Patterson denied immediately.

"Nothing is going to happen," Rich insisted, "I'll be there to run interference."

"We just need to find out where the party is and raid it," Patterson argued.

Just then Kurt came in obviously looking for his wife.

"Do we have something?" Kurt asked when he saw their faces.

"Yes," Rich confirmed.

"No," Patterson denied at the same time.

"So which is it?" Kurt held out his hand in confusion.

"We have a lead," Rich explained, "But Patterson is reluctant to follow it."

"We have to follow any lead we can get," Kurt agreed.

"Great," Rich said in triumph, "Jane, let's go."

Jane stood reluctantly but before she could take a single step, Kurt had reeled her back in. With one arm anchoring her to him, Kurt demanded, "Explanation."

Patterson provided it.

"No way," Kurt denied his voice resolute.

"You just said…" Rich argued.

"That was before I knew you intended to use Jane as bait and potentially get her killed." Kurt interrupted.

"I can do it," Jane assured him.

"No," Kurt would not be swayed.

"We might be able to get the information we need to end this…"Rich insisted.

"Rich," Kurt interrupted him, "There is nothing, and I mean _nothing_ , you can say to get me to change my mind. The world as we know it could end and I still wouldn't send Jane into this situation."

"Then what?" Rich demanded in frustration. He'd been working day and night to find out who had placed a hit on Jane and he couldn't locate them. It didn't make any sense. There should have been some clue…something. They were really lucky Patterson had found that government code, or they'd be completely in the dark.

"I don't know," Kurt admitted.

Rich turned and huffed out. Frustrated. They were all frustrated.

Kurt turned to Jane, "I came to see if you wanted to go to lunch?"

"Of course," Jane agreed, "Patterson you want to come?"

"No," She denied, "But could you bring me back something?"

"Sure."

Since they were bringing Patterson something back, they decided to walk to the Deli up the street from the NYO.

Taking a bite of her sandwich Jane considered how to broach Rich's suggestion with Kurt.

"No," He said before inspiration could strike.

"You said it yourself, we need to follow any lead we can find." Jane argued.

"I said that because I want to keep you alive, not hurry to get you killed." Kurt reminded her.

"Whoever is doing this…they are eventually going to try again," Jane reminded him.

As if to punctuate her words, the front window of the Deli exploded.

Jane watched in horror as this time the bullet hit Weller and he went flying backward.

She turned the table over as she lunged for him. The bullet had penetrated high and to the right of his chest, piercing his shoulder. She placed her left hand over the wound while her right hand reached for her weapon. Looking up she encountered the frightened eyes of the woman shielding her child and knew she need to draw the gunman way from here. Kurt's eyes had just fluttered opened when she yelled at the woman, "Once I'm gone, promise me you'll help him."

The woman looked down at Kurt and nodded her assent.

"Jane?" Kurt was looking up at her in confusion.

"Stay down," Jane insisted, "You've been hit."

She sent Patterson a SOS and took a deep breath. Turning she sprinted toward the now shattered glass and leaped though, rolling she took cover behind a bench on the street. The gunman switched to automatic fire once Jane was out in the open. The bullets flew around her and she waiting, knowing that Kurt and the patrons in the building where momentarily safe with her outside…or they would have been in Kurt hadn't ignored her pleas and staggered to his feet.

He made it all the way to the window before Jane became aware of what was happening. Jane's detail had joined the fight and she took the opportunity to cross the street. The gunman was somewhere in the building adjacent to the Deli and she was determined to find him.

She sprinted up the steps two at a time and was just in time to meet him as he pulled open the door of the second floor to flee. He was startled to see her and even though he raised the gun to shoot, she was already on him. Knocking the gun from his hand she brought up her foot and kicked him in the chest. He staggered back, but didn't go down. Rushing forward he charged and the two of them went down the steps. Jane twisted right before they hit so that the majority of the impact was on his body. As they rolled down the rest of the way, she got more than her fair share of pain.

She got in a few good shots, but by the time her detail arrived Jane was sporting a busted lip and swelling cheek. She didn't wait for him to be taken into custody, but immediately moved back outside to check on Kurt.

She found him on the ground with Patterson leaning over him protectively. Reed and Tasha were standing guard and Roman rushed over to her once he saw her.

"Is he okay?" She worried, putting her gun away.

"It's not fatal," Roman insisted, "Paramedics are on the way. How are you?"

Wiping the blood from her face, Jane dismissed it. "It's nothing."

She joined Patterson on the ground by Kurt's other side.

"Patterson?" Jane sought assurance from her.

"It's clean," Patterson assured her, "Not bleeding overly much."

Jane pulled Kurt up and supported him on her lap, her hand coving his wound while her eyes surveyed him for damage.

"We have to do something," Jane whispered as she watched the mother and her child be escorted away.

Jane's eyes closed and she leaned over Kurt and shielded him from any further threat. Looking down into his ashen complexion she felt her hands shake and her eyes fill with tears. This was her fault…she should never have come back.

Kissing his forehead she rested her check against him, while her arms held him close.

The decision was made while Kurt was in surgery. Hirst approved Rich's request for his undercover assignment and Jane was tasked with his support. Patterson protested vigorously, but as soon as they received the all clear about Kurt, Jane and Rich left for their assignment.

"He's going to be frantic," Tasha warned Jane while she helped her get ready.

"Do not let him leave the hospital," Jane insisted.

"Are you kidding me?" Tasha asked her.

"I'm serious," Jane said.

"Why are you doing this?" Tasha finally demanded, "I know that Hirst gave you this assignment, but you aren't exactly trying to get out of it."

"Kurt was shot," Jane reminded Tasha, "There is no place I would rather be than next to him, but not if it's going to get him killed. We need to find out who's behind this, before they succeed in getting rid of me and anyone too close to me. That entire Deli was at risk, all because I agreed to eat a sandwich."

"He's going to think your dead," Tasha warned her.

At that Jane's eyes looked down, "Give me your phone."

Tasha handed it over to her.

"Kurt," Jane said into Tasha's phone video, "I went with Rich on his little scavenger hunt…I am not dead, I am fine. Do NOT leave the hospital. I will come to see you as soon as we get back. I….Love you," Jane told him before handing Tasha the phone back.

"That's not going to do much good," Tasha told her with a shake of her head.

"We'll hurry," Jane insisted, forcing herself to turn away.

Watching her go Tasha couldn't hide the worry from her expression.

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Jane didn't cover the tattoos. She and Rich met two armed escorts and it took them forty five minutes of backwoods driving before they climbed out of the car to be met by the barrel of a gun.

Looking over at Jane, Rich held up his hand and smiled sickly.

"This is the friend I told you about," He admitted.

"Is there anyone that doesn't want to kill you?" Jane asked him raising her hands up as well.

The man lowered his weapon with a laugh.

"Welcome back Rich," the man greeted them.  
Jane followed after them with a disgruntled look. Wasn't this going to be fun?

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Okay…I know. I try not to leave you like this, but here we are…sorry.


	28. Chapter 28

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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"We're sharing a room?" Jane demanded once the door closed behind them.

"It's either me or Romeo," Rich warned her.

After spending two hours fending off his advances, Jane had to admit…if only to herself… that Rich was the lesser of two evils. Who knew that could be true?

"I thought you said there would be other people here," Jane accused him.

"There will be," Rich insisted, "They must be coming in tomorrow."

Jane walked over and sat on the bed.

Watching her pensive expression, Rich walked over and sat down next to her.

"He's going to be fine," Rich insisted.

"He is going to be pissed." Jane corrected.

"I'm going to blame you," Rich admitted, unabashed.

"Figures," Jane glared at him.

"He loves you," Rich reminded her, "He will probably kill me."

"If I don't do it first," Jane warned him when his arm fell across her shoulders.

He immediately let it drop.

"Calm down," Rich chided, "We're supposed to be together."

"So where are you sleeping?" Jane asked, noticing that although they had two chairs to sit in, there was no couch in the room.

Rich looked down at the bed and then up at her with a hopeful little smile.

"No way," Jane denied.

"Oh, come on," Rich insisted, "Unless you don't think you'll be able to resist me…"

"You wish," Jane rolled her eyes.

"No," Rich insisted seriously, "We need to share."

"Why?" Jane asked him suspiciously.

"Jack really does think he's a Romeo. God's gift to women, if he even remotely expects that we aren't what we seem…let's just say neither of us will like the outcome." Rich warned her.

"You're right," Jane suddenly realized, "Kurt _is_ going to kill you."

"Stubbles will understand," Rich denied, "But in case this is my last few days…could you call me darling?"

"Rich," Jane turned away from his hopeful expression and looked at the bed in resignation.

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Kurt woke up groggy and confused. Opening his eyes he realized he was in the hospital. Turning his head he looked over and saw…Patterson.

The machine he was connected to immediately recorded the abrupt spike in his heart rate.

 _Where was Jane?_

The last thing he could remember was seeing her flying out the broken front window of the Deli…had she been hit? Was she…

"Kurt," Patterson sat forward and smiled at him in relief.

"Where's Jane?" Kurt demanded.

"She's fine," Patterson assured him.

"Where. Is. Jane?" Kurt repeated more forcefully.

"She went with Rich," Patterson reluctantly admitted.

When Kurt tried to sit up, she immediately placed her hands on his chest and insisted, "She made us promise to keep you in the hospital."

"I distinctly remember denying Rich's request," Kurt _was_ pissed, "You want to explain exactly how this happened?"

"Hirst approved the op," Patterson explained.

"Why did Jane agree?" Kurt demanded.

"I wouldn't say she exactly agreed," Patterson denied, "But she'd just watched you get shot…so I'm thinking she was about willing to do anything to catch whoever was responsible."

"Do we have coms?" Kurt demanded.

"No," Patterson denied.

"We didn't send them on their own?" Kurt demanded.

"Roman trailed them." Patterson assured him.

"That will only tell us where she is, not what's happening to her." Kurt insisted.

"I'm sorry," Patterson tried to sooth him.

"Get me out of here," Kurt looked over at Patterson with determination.

"I'll see what I can do," Patterson reluctantly agreed.

No sooner had she disappeared from view, that Kurt was pushing aside the covers. Determination got him out of bed…love kept him going.

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Jane knew something was wrong almost immediately.

"Rich," She looked over at him in alarm.

"It must have been in the food," Rich realized.

Jane being slighter went down first. Rich looked over at her in dismay and knew he didn't have much time. He picked her up pulled off her shirt and left her in her pants and undershirt. He then pulled off his own shirt until he was in his undershirt. Picking her up, he placed her under the covers and moved around and climbed into bed beside her. Determined to keep her with him, he pulled her into his arms and felt immediate regret for bring her here. Stubbles was going to kill him if he let anything happen to Jane. He pulled the covers over them and by the time the drugs knocked him out, he had done all he could.

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Tasha looked at him.

"I knew you wouldn't stay in the hospital," Tasha said from the driver seat.

"If you knew me so well," Kurt demanded with a scowl, "How could you let Jane do this?"

Tasha passed him her phone.

Kurt looked down to see Jane staring up at him from the screen. For a moment, he thought she was actually on the call. When he realized it was a recording, he felt his heart drop. He hesitated only a moment before pressing the play button.

" _Kurt, I went with Rich on his little scavenger hunt…I am not dead, I am fine._ _Do NOT leave the hospital. I will come to see you as soon as we get back._ _I….Love you_."

He forwarded the video to his phone.

"She wanted you to stay in the hospital." Tasha insisted before she pulled away.

"Then she should have stayed here and made sure I did," Kurt said flatly.

Shaking her head Tasha pulled away, Patterson in the back looking every bit as concerned as she felt.

"Do we have a location yet?" Kurt demanded.

"It's pretty far out," Tasha warned him.

"Then we better get on with it." Kurt insisted.

"Reed has set up a base at a hotel about five miles from the compound," Tasha explained, "Roman is on the grounds attempting to make contact with Jane."

"Does he have a com?" Kurt immediately demanded.

"Yes," Patterson assured him.

"Patch me in," Kurt insisted.

Patterson knew not to argue. She passed him a com and she and Tasha put their own on. Patterson texted Stewart and within moments they were all connected.

"What have you got?" Kurd demanded once Roman responded.

"This place is remote," Roman warned him, "The compound has a high fence, ten feet easily. There are armed guards and patrol dogs."

"The property is three hundred acres," Stewart warned them, "But the house sits on the edge of the north property line."

"Can you get close enough for contact?" Kurt insisted.

"I can see the house," Roman confirmed, "Jane and Rich arrived just over three hours ago."

"Is there a lot of activity?" Tasha worried.

"No," Roman denied, "It's quiet."

It was already dark. In fact it was quite late. He made his way to the side of the house and began checking windows. Moving to the second floor balcony, he found Jane in the second window.

"I've got her," Roman told the team.

"Is she okay?" Kurt demanded.

"She's sleeping," Roman said in surprise.

"Sleeping?" Kurt didn't know why he was surprised, but neither of them slept well without the other so he had expected her to be awake.

"She's not alone," Roman warned them.

"What?" Kurt demanded.

"It's Rich," Roman explained.

"She's sharing a room with Rich?" Kurt was not amused.

"Not just the room," Roman denied.

"The bed?" Kurt demanded. This didn't make any sense.

Knocking on the window, Roman waited. When she didn't respond, he knocked a little louder. Nothing. Now he knew they had a problem. No way would Jane be able to sleep like that in her current surroundings.

"She's not waking up." Roman warned them.

Just then the door began to open and Roman ducked out of sight.

"We have a third party," Roman warned the team, going dark.

The man that entered the room moved directly to Jane's side of the bed. With the man's back to him, Roman was able to watch as the man leaned down and ran his hand down the side of Jane's face.

Roman reached for his gun.

Rising back up the man stood looking down at Jane for the longest time. Then inexplicably he leaned over her and pulled the blanket up around her before turning once more toward the door.

Jane never moved.

"She's been drugged," Roman reported.

"How do you know?" Reed demanded.

"Well," Roman explained, "A man just entered the room and touched her and she didn't wake up."

"Touched her…how?" Kurt demanded.

"He ran his hand down her face and adjusted the covers," Roman explained.

"We need to extract her." Kurt demanded.

"I can't carry them both," Roman denied.

"We aren't leaving her," Kurt was adamant.

"Stewart I need in," Roman told him.

"I'll disable the window alarm," Stewart assured him.

"Don't forget to check for cameras," Patterson warned him.

"I'm on it," Stewart assured her.

"Well?" Kurt demanded impatiently.

"You're clear." Stewart assured Roman.

He made short work of the lock on the window and once he was inside he closed it behind him.

Moving over toward Jane, Roman took her pulse.

"Jane," Roman shook her gently. Nothing.

"Rich?" He tried. Nothing.

"Yeah," Roman said over the coms, "They aren't waking up."

"I can help," Reed immediately offered.

"There is no way we are going to be able to carry them out of here and avoid the security." Roman denied.

"What do you have in mind?" Patterson worried.

"I'm going to stay," Roman told them, "Keep an eye on them."

"Once it gets light out," Stewart warned him, "You'll be stuck inside."

"I am not leaving her vulnerable like this," Roman insisted.

"What if the man comes back?" Tasha asked Roman.

"He came to make sure they were unconscious," Stewart insisted, "Now that he knows they are he has no reason to come back."

Roman didn't say anything.

"Roman?" Kurt demanded.

"He has one reason to come back," He denied remembering the look on the man's face when he looked down at Jane.

"I'm coming in," Kurt told him, his jaw clinched.

"I was thinking that instead of trying to carry anyone out," Reed suggested, "We take in some adrenalin and just wake them up."

"Maybe not both of them," Patterson insisted, "Just Rich."

"Why?" Kurt demanded.

"Rich needed time to hack into Jack's computer system. Since everyone knows he's been drugged, they won't expect him to do that. Security won't be on high alert and he'd have hours to work on it." Patterson suggested.

"Fine," Kurt agreed, "I'll take in the syringe."

"No," Tasha denied, "You just got out of the hospital."

"I'm going," Kurt wouldn't back down.

"What if you get detected on the way in?" Reed demanded, "You can't risk tearing open your stitches."

"I won't get detected," Kurt denied.

"Kurt…" Patterson looked at him with concern.

"I have to go," He told her his vulnerability apparent.

"Where do we get the adrenalin?" Tasha demanded.

"I'll handle it," Reed assured them. "It will be ready by the time you get here."

Kurt didn't waste any time once they arrived. He took the two syringes Reed provided and Tasha offered to drive him to the compound.

"I promised her I would watch out for you," Tasha told him.

"I need to do this and you understand and are helping me," Kurt told her, "That is watching out for me."

"You suck," Tasha told him.

"Love you too," Kurt told her.

Watching him climb from the car, Tasha felt nothing but anxiety.

"He's on the move," She told Roman.

"I'll let you know when he gets here." Roman assured them.

Kurt moved quickly. He felt awful, but it had as much to do with Jane being in this situation as it did with his recent surgery.

When he went to climb up to the second floor, he took several deep breaths before moving on. If he tore his stitches he'd have to leave and he had no intension of doing that.

Roman had the window open for him and Kurt climbed inside.

"He's in," Roman told the team.

Kurt moved immediately to Jane's side. Seeing the way that Rich was clutching her he scowled.

He removed one of the syringes and passed it over to Roman. Leaning over Jane he studied her sleeping face and looked for any signs of distress. He ran his hand down her cheek before resting it against her throat to feel the reassurance beat of her heart against his hand.

Rich came awake abruptly.

"What?" He looked from Roman to Kurt in confusion.

He suddenly realized that he was holding Jane against him and his arms dropped away hastily.

"It's not what it looks like," He insisted, looking back and forth between Roman and Kurt fearfully.

"Get up," Roman whispered impatiently.

"We were drugged," Rich explained.

"Did they place you in bed?" Roman demanded.

"No," Rich reluctantly admitted, "Jane went down first…she's so slight. I did that so that Jack wouldn't have any reason to handle her…"

"Thanks Rich," Kurt told him.

"Let's go," Roman urged him.

"Where?" Rich was still confused.

"There's a rumor going around that you want to hack into a computer system." Roman said dryly.

"Oh," Rich finally caught up, "This is good."

"Are we going to wake Jane?" He worried.

"No," Kurt denied, "I'll watch out for her."

"How are you here?" Rich demanded suddenly.

"Jane's here," Roman reminded him, as if that were explanation enough.

Looking over at Kurt watching Jane, Rich smiled, it was enough.

Rich climbed from the bed and pulled on his shirt.

Kurt waited for them to leave, before he walked around and slid into the bed beside Jane. He was exhausted and in pain, but he took the time to pull her against him before he settled back against the headboard to wait. His hand ran gently over her face and hair. The thought of her so vulnerable did something to him. He felt almost savage at the thought of her abused in any way.  
"Weller, you still with us?" Patterson worried.

"I'm here," Kurt assured her.

"You have to get out of there before daylight," Patterson insisted. "You cannot hide in the house. You have to sleep and you need to get your bandages changed. You also have medicine to take."

"I'll get out before dawn," Kurt assured her.

"I'm holding you to it," Patterson warned him.

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Rich led Roman through the hallways silently. They came to the server room and Stewart gained them access. Once inside Rich pulled out a chair and got to work. He first searched for the missing military code he'd promised Patterson before corrupting the file to ensure that during the next backup ruined the data completely. He then moved on to the NSA backdoor. He spent hours searching.

"It's getting late," Roman warned him.

Rich looked up with a frown. "I'm close," Rich insisted.

"Well you're going to be dead," Roman warned him, "If you don't get back."

Rich reluctantly signed off and followed Roman back to the room.

They went in to find Kurt sitting against the headboard, Jane's head resting against his chest.

"I'd thought you'd fall asleep for sure," Rich admitted.

And leave Jane vulnerable? Unlikely, Roman thought.

"How are you doing?" Roman worried.

"I've felt better," Kurt admitted.

"We need to get you out of here," Roman insisted.

"Are you staying?" Rich asked Roman in surprise.

"No," Reed said from the window, "I am."

"We need to wake Jane up before we go," Roman insisted.

"Why?" Rich asked puzzled.

"We don't know how exactly what they gave you." Roman insisted, "We need to make sure she gets up okay."

"Do it," Kurt told Roman.

"I'm only giving her a half dose," Roman told him, "The effects of the drugs could already be wearing off."

Kurt held still while Roman administered the dose.

He knew the second she was awake, but unlike Rich she didn't move a muscle. If he hadn't been holding her so tightly he wouldn't have known she was conscious. She stiffened immediately, but then she relaxed. She'd know his body anywhere. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up into his concerned face.

"You're supposed to be in the hospital," She accused him.

"And you're supposed to be sitting in the chair next to my bed holding my hand," He accused her.

"Then what they hell are we doing here?" Jane pushed herself up to look down at him in concern.

"Every time I close my eyes, my wife disappears," Kurt told her bluntly.

Seeing how pale he was, Jane didn't bother to argue. It probably seemed like that to him.

Looking over at Roman and Reed she demanded, "How could you let him come here?"

"Once he realized you'd been drugged," Roman told her, "There was no stopping him."

That explained her pounding head. Jane realized lifting her hand up to it absently.

"Are you okay?" Kurt worried.

"I'm fine," Jane dismissed, "We need to get Kurt out of here."

"Come with me," Kurt implored her.

"She can't leave," Rich protested, "I need another night."

"Jack's just going to drug you again," Roman protested.

"I'll find sometime today to get access to the computer," Rich insisted, "We'll be gone before tonight."

"I brought more doses of adrenalin." Reed assured them.

"You have until 5PM to get what you need," Kurt warned Rich, "After that, we're coming in."

"Fine," Rich agreed, secretly relieved.

Kurt walked over to where Jane was standing, "Be careful," He insisted taking her hand and putting it against his chest.

"You too," She said meeting his concerned eyes.

He leaned in and kissed her mouth softly before nuzzling her neck as he pulled her in gently for a hug.

She closed her eyes and held him just as gently. Reaching up she cupped his face and urged him, "Go."

As he disappeared through the window, she looked over at Reed with a distraught expression.

He walked over and hugged her awkwardly.

"As much as I hate to suggest this," He said, "You should probably assume the position you were in before. They might come to wake you up."

"You'll let me know when they're safe?" Jane worried.

"I promise," Reed agreed.

Jane followed Rich to the bed. When he pulled her against him she looked over at him with an exasperated expression, "Really?"

"Hey," Rich insisted, "I was trying to ensure nobody took you away while we slept."

"When do you think they'll come to get us?" Jane worried.

"I hope it's late," Rich yawned, "Unlike you, sleeping beauty, I didn't get any rest."

"They're out," Reed told Jane with a smile.

Soon after that, Rich began to snore and Jane and Reed shared an exasperated look. This just kept getting better and better.

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	29. Chapter 29

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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Nobody came to wake them. The phone rang at 8AM and Jane let it ring until it actually woke Rich. It would seem more believable if he answered it in his exhausted voice.

"We need to hurry," Rich told her once he hung up.

"Why?" Jane worried getting up. He eyes went to the air conditioner return where Reed had sought refuge.

"The others have arrived." He told her.

"Do you know how many?" Jane worried.

"The more the better," Rich insisted.

"I thought you said that these were not going to be pillars of the community," Jane argued, "Why would you want there to be more of them?"

"Because it gives us a better chance to make it through the first challenge," Rich explained, "I'm rather hoping we won't be here for the second."

Jane went into the bathroom to finish getting ready. By the time she and Rich were presentable, he was starting to appear nervous and agitated.

Jane turned toward him and pulled him to a stop.

"You need to calm down," She told him.

"It's just so exciting," Rich insisted.

"It is very exciting," Jane soothed him, "But we aren't supposed to know what's coming, so you need to calm down."

"Right…right," Rich agreed. He stuck out his arm for her, "Shall we?"

Jane placed her hand in the crook of his arm and shook her head, "Let's."

Reed, watching from the register could only hope he wouldn't need to intervene.

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Kurt and Roman arrived back at the hotel room to be met by Patterson. She hustled Kurt into the bathroom to change is bandage, but it was Tasha that handed him breakfast. By the time he finished, Patterson was back with his medication.

"You need to sleep," Roman insisted once he had taken his pills.

"I will," Kurt assured him.

"Sooner than you think," Patterson warned him.

"What did you give me?" Kurt demanded suspiciously.

"Your antibiotic and something for the pain…" She admitted.

The room seemed to lose some of its focus.

"Dammit Patterson," Kurt felt himself slumping.

Roman helped him over to the bed and before long he was out.

"You realize that he won't take whatever you give him next time," Roman teased her.

"Next time it will be Jane dealing with the prescription," Patterson argued, "So it won't matter."

"If you say so," Roman smiled.

"You need to get some sleep too," Tasha insisted.

Looking at the other bed Roman admitted, "I'm tired."

"We booked the room next door," Tasha explained, "We'll keep in contact with Reed and wake you up if we need you."

Roman watched them go with a little smile. It was nice to be looked after for a change. Sandstorm…Sheppard, they hadn't exactly been nurturing. Jane was the only one that had ever looked out for him…until now.

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"Rich you look like shit," Jack greeted them once they entered the dining room.

"I think it was something I ate," Rich said pointedly.

Jane looked over at him in consternation.

"Jane," Jacked walked over to her, "Enchanting…"

She watched as he kissed her hand and it took everything in her not to pull away.

"Thanks," Jane greeted, sitting down into the chair Rich pulled out for her.

When the room began to fill with people, Jane realized that Rich hadn't been kidding. There were some really questionable characters joining them. It almost looked absurd, the ornate furnishings an elaborate backdrop for people obviously used to more humble origins. Rich seemed to fit in fine, as did Jack, but she was felt uncomfortable in this lavish style and the others looked it.

"I want to thank each of you for joining me," Jack told the room at large.

"Why are we here?" One of the other guests demanded.

"Each of you, at one time or another, have done something to make me question your loyalty." Jack explained.

"So you thought you'd throw us a party?" One of the guests said sarcastically.

"Oh," Jack denied, "This isn't so much a party as it is a ….test."

"What are you talking about?" The first man demanded.

"We're going to play a little game," Jack told them, "I'm going to give you certain tasks…and if you complete them in a timely manner, you get to live."

When the agitation began to spread throughout the room, Jack held up his hand. "Anyone that doesn't want to play… is able to leave now."

His meaning was unmistakable. "No?" He taunted.

"This is bullshit," A voice accused.

Jack ignored the comment and went on as if nobody spoke.

"It seems last night we might have had some unwelcome visitors to the compound," Jack explained and Jane stiffened.

She shot Rich a worried glance and was relieved to see that he remained stoic.

Suddenly a screen came down from the roof and a picture of a dark figure appeared. Jane recognized Reed immediately, although his face was in shadow.

"This man entered the compound just before dawn…we have no record of him leaving." Jack explained, "Your first task is to find him and bring him to me."

"What if he's already gone?" One of the others demanded.

"You better hope he's not," Jack said, "Because if nobody brings him in, then you'll all pay a very high price."

This was a nightmare. Jane had no way of alerting the others and they somehow needed to find a way to get Reed out of here.

When she went to stand, Jack said, "Not so fast."

She sank back down and looked at him without expression.

"To make sure that you all do your very best…I'm going to keep one of each team with me. Keeps things honest…wouldn't want any of you running off."

Jane was torn at this point. She wanted to be the one to leave, she had to warn Reed, but she knew that Rich had to get back to the computers. This meant that she was going to spend the day fending off Jack's heavy handed advances.

"Jane," Jack walked over and smiled down at her, "I will undoubtedly enjoy your company."

Rich didn't like where this was going at all.

Jane simply smiled up at him before turning to face Rich.

Walking over she gave him a hug and whispered into his ear. "Warn Reed first."

"Don't eat or drink anything until I get back," He warned _her_.

She looked down at the breakfast they'd just eaten before looking back at him with a troubled expression.

He was torn. He knew he didn't have a choice, but leaving her without knowing if she'd been drugged again went against every instinct in him.

"Is there a problem?" Jack asked them with a raised brow.

"Just going to miss my girl," Rich explained, shooting Jane one of his most bestowed expressions.

"Darling…I'll be fine." Jane smiled over at him.

Rich's hands clenched. She was giving him a gift, knowing that neither one of them could make it out of this alive. Well…if it had to happen, it wasn't going to be her. She was leaving here alive.

"I'll be sure to keep her company for you." Jack assured him.

Suddenly a group of armed men entered the room.

"Tick tock," Jack told the group.

Jane watched while half of the people present began to file out. After they left, Jane went to sit back down, before Jacked stopped her.

"No need for you to wait here," He insisted, "Join me, I'll give you a tour of the estate."

Jane felt her heart sink at his offer. Nothing good could come from this.

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Rich was in a panic. He dare not go back to their room to warn Reed, so instead he broke off from the group and headed straight back to the server room. He needed to get word to Patterson who in turn could warn Reed. Then he needed to find out what they came for so that he could end this situation ASAP.

He knew he was taking a big risk, but he didn't hesitate, Jane was counting on him and he wasn't going to let her down.

Patterson was reviewing some of the documents Keaton had sent over when Rich's SOS came through.

Tasha looked up in shock when Patterson muttered a foul word.

"What's wrong?" Tasha worried.

"Their first assignment is to find Reed," Patterson told her.

It was Tasha's turn to curse, "Jane will warn him."

"No," Patterson denied, "Jack is keeping her with him and Rich doesn't dare go anywhere near his hiding place so he doesn't give him away."

"I'll use the com to warn him." Tasha offered.

"Reed, do you copy?" Tasha asked him.

"I read you," Reed confirmed.

"They know you're in the compound," Tasha warned him, "They're looking for you."

"Are Jane and Rich compromised?" Reed demanded.

"I don't think so," Tasha denied, "Rich is back in the server room and Jack is keeping Jane with him until you're located."

"Why would he do that if he doesn't know I'm with them?" Reed demanded.

"He kept one of each of the teams separate to ensure that nobody attempts to escape his little game." Tasha explained.

"I don't like it," Reed worried.

"Jane can take care of herself," Tasha insisted.

"I'm going to find her," Reed wouldn't back down.

"That's crazy," Tasha protested, "They are _looking_ for you, going to where they are is foolish."

"They wouldn't expect it," Reed insisted.

Tasha would give him that…

"You want us to breach?" She asked him.

"No," Reed denied, "Give Rich a little more time with the computers. Until they find me, we're all good."

"I'll put everyone on standby," Tasha assured him.

"I'll find Jane," Reed insisted beginning to move slowly and quietly through the ducts.

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Jane followed Jack from the room and started counting…besides she and Rich Jack had invited six teams of two people…twelve. Their loyalties might be swayed since they were no safer than she and Rich currently were. Walking through the halls, she kept a guard count. Once she reached fifteen, she realized that things could get dicey if Reed were located.

After about thirty minutes she began to breathe easy that breakfast was not proving to be a repeat of last night's diner. If she'd have even suspected she'd been drugged, she would have had to take down Jack before the drugs took her down.

"You have a beautiful estate," Jane told him with a false smile. It was more a compound than a home, but she knew he wouldn't get the distinction.

"I have everything I could possibly want," Jack assured her, "I possess beautiful things."

Jane didn't respond to that.

"How long have you and Rich been together?" Jack asked her.

"We've known each other for years," Jane explained.

"I'm having a little trouble wrapping my mind around the two of you as a couple," Jack admitted, "How was he able to win you over?"

"He's persistent," Jane said candidly.

Jack laughed at her rueful tone.

"You're options need not be so…limited." He told her.

"I'm happy with my choices," Jane denied.

"Perhaps you simply don't know what you're missing?" Jack suggested.

"You can't miss what you've never had," Jane rebutted.

"But you can… _have_ …anything you want," Jack insisted.

"I _have_ all I can handle already," Jane assured him.

To Jane's relief, he let it drop.

He opened the door to his office and stepped back for her to precede him inside.

She stepped through the door feeling almost hunted.

Jack walked over to the bar in the corner and offered, "Drink?"

"No," Jane assured him, "I'm fine."

"Don't you trust me?" Jack asked filling his own glass.

"Not particularly," Jane admitted.

Reed listened in, relieved that he'd finally found her.

"That's a little harsh," Jack chided joining the chair beside her instead of sitting at the desk.

"Well our…circumstances, doesn't allow a lot of room for trust." Jane reminded him.

"Don't worry Jane," Jack told her, "I'm not nearly done with you yet…"

Reed scowled and silently drew his weapon. Jerk.

"See," Jane said calmly, "Reassurances like that…make me doubt your sincerity."

"Oh," Jack insisted, "I'm very sincere."

"And I'm very disinterested," Jane said bluntly.

"I think I could change your mind," Jack offered.

"Unlikely," Jane denied.

Suddenly a screen slid down from the roof.

Jane looked at it without a word.

When the feed came in, it wasn't what she was expecting. It was a live video feed…of the hotel where the team was waiting.

She looked over at Jack in feigned confusion.

"What you think showing me a picture of a cheap motel will excite me?" She laughed.

Reed's eyes flew to the screen and he immediately opened his com.

"Did you really think that anyone could breach my estate without me noticing?" Jack scoffed.

"Why would I care one way or another?" Jane bluffed.

"I know who you are," Jack insisted.

"Who am I?" Jane challenged.

"You are Jane _Weller_ , the wife of the Assistance Director of the FBI." Jack told her.

"That is my name," Jane agreed, "But you seemed to have missed the bigger picture."

"How's that?" Jack smiled at her in condensation.

"What you call me is irrelevant," Jane explained, "It's what I can do that really matters."

"Intriguing," Jack smiled at her, "What are you willing to do?"

Jane reacted so quickly that he didn't even see it coming. While he withered on the ground, clutching his neck she placed her knee in the center of his chest and demanded, "How many men?"

"Wh…what?" Jack wheezed.

"How many men are at the hotel?" Jane demanded.

When Jack didn't answer, Jane used the web of her hand to break his nose.

He howled in protest just as Reed kicked in the vent and came into the room.

Jane looked up in relief.

"Am I glad to see you," Jane admitted.

"Looks like you've got everything under control," Reed couldn't help but observe.

"He's got men at the hotel," Jane warned him.

"I've already notified Tasha," Reed assured her.

"How many?" Jane repeated.

"Six," Jack wheezed.

Reed relayed the message.

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"Get up!" Tasha burst through the connecting door and woke them.

Roman came awake with a start. He sat up and looked over at Tasha in concern.

"What's going on?" He said as he stood and reached for his shirt.

Tasha looked at the scars that crisscrossed his body in distraction before pulling herself back together.

"We have incoming," She explained.

Kurt sat up and demanded, "Jane and Rich?"

"They've been compromised," Tasha admitted, "But they're okay."

"How many?" Roman demanded.

"Jane got Jack to admit to six," Tasha explained.

"So that means there are probably more," Roman checked the clip in his gun.

"Probably," Tasha agreed, moving back toward Patterson.

Kurt followed after her, determined to find out what had gone wrong.

"How did they find us?" Kurt demanded.

"They detected us going into the compound this morning," Tasha admitted, "Which also means they knew when you and Roman left. They must have followed you here. The first scavenger hunt was to locate Reed."

"Where is Reed?" Kurt worried.

"He's with Jane," Tasha assured him, "They're going after Rich."

"We need to get in there," Kurt worried.

"We need to get out of here first," Patterson insisted, "I've called in reinforcements."

"Who?" Kurt demanded.

"NSA Agent Trent," Patterson told him.

" _What?_ Kurt demanded.

"Rich found the person responsible for the hit," Patterson explained.

"Who?" Kurt checked the windows to make sure they were still clear.

"It was the NSA Director Horton," Patterson told him.

"Is he sure?" Kurt demanded. His money had been on Trent.

"He deliberately sent Trent in, knowing that his determination to get to the bottom of what happened would not come across well. Trent is known for his distaste of governmental cover ups. Then he came in to pacify us and become the permanent liaison. It would allow him to get rid of Trent and gain our trust. It would also ensure he was notified of any information that Nas might have tattooed on Jane regarding her own boss."

"How do we know Trent isn't in on it with him?" Kurt demanded.

"Because Trent was fired two days ago," Patterson explained.

"Then he's not going to be much backup," Roman insisted.

"He's not coming alone," Patterson denied, "I also called Keaton."

"So it's about to be a party," Roman actually smiled.

"Here they come," Kurt warned the team seeing the gunmen approaching the building.

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"We need to get Rich and get out of here," Reed warned her.

Jane was watching the gunmen advance on the hotel with a sick feeling in her stomach.

"We need to know what happens," Jane insisted.

"We can't wait," Reed denied, "I've got them on coms, we have to go."

Jane looked down at Jack and reared back and struck him. Once he was unconscious, Reed helped her drag him over to the closet in the corner. They locked him inside and headed back toward the AC vents. Jane's last sight of the screen showed the men entering the hotel. He heart was racing as she heard the sound of automatic weapon fire as she slid through the small space. Please…she prayed as she headed toward the server room, Reed a grim shadow behind her.

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The gunmen had hoped to catch them by surprise, but between Kurt, Roman, Patterson and Zapata they hadn't stood a chance. Once they burst into the room, it had only taken less than five minutes before it was all over.

Tasha called out to Reed, "We clear."

Reed closed his eyes in relief.

"They're clear," Reed assured Jane.

She didn't say anything, but he saw her physical reaction to the news.

"Keaton and Trent are coming in hot," Patterson warned Reed.

"Trent?" Reed confirmed in disbelief.

"Turns out he's not a bad guy, but has poor people skills," Patterson explained.

"Keaton and Trent are incoming," Reed warned Jane.

No sooner had the words left his mouth than there was an explosion in the distance.

They arrived at the server room to see Rich still at the computers. Exiting the vent Jane ran over to him and demanded, "What are you doing?"

"I'm leaving a trail for the NSA to follow so that they know, without question, that the person responsible for hacking their servers is Jack." Rich explained.

"They're already raiding the compound," Reed insisted, "I think they get it."

"We can't have anything lead back to the FBI," Rich explained, "That's why Patterson sent in Keaton. We need distance from this event."

"Physical distance too," Reed pointed out.

"Good point," Rich finished some keystrokes and stood.

"Darling, are you okay?" Rich asked Jane.

"Don't push it," She warned him.

"You're no fun," He complained.

They didn't return to the vents, but checked the corridor before hastening down the hallway.

"If they're raiding the compound," Reed asked Jane, "How are we going to get out without being seen?"

"There's an escape tunnel that we can access from the basement." Rich told them, pointing toward the step leading down.

Reed turned the corner and came face to face with one of Jack's security thugs. One scuffle later, Jane had her own gun.  
"Thanks," She told Reed with a little grin.

"Don't say I never gave you anything," He teased her.

They continued down into the darkness, listening for any sign they weren't alone.

Suddenly a spotlight blinded them.

"This is all your fault," Jack accused them from behind the light.

Rich didn't hesitate, Reed was wearing a vest, but Jane wasn't. He stepped in front of her just as Jack fired.

Reed returned fire and the light exploded. In the sudden darkness he couldn't see, but the sound of moaning was loud.

"Jane!" Reed called in panic.

There was no response.

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Weller looked at the men that had been sent to stop them and walked over to Patterson with a scowl.

"Patch me into Reed's com," He insisted.

"Reed you copy?" Kurt demanded.

"I've got Jane," He assured Kurt, "We're going to get Rich and head out."

"Keep your com open," Kurt insisted.

"Copy," Reed assured him.

Listening in silence Kurt followed their progress. When he knew they were heading for the exit, he had Patterson pull up the map for a rendezvous point when it happened.

 _This is all your fault…_ The sound of automatic weapon fire was unmistakable.

"Jane!" Reed called out desperately.

"Is she hit?" Kurt demanded as the rest of the team froze.

"I don't know," Reed admitted. "It's too dark to see."  
"Is Jack down?" Roman demanded.

"I can't see anything," Reed denied, "I'm going dark."

The team waited in tense silence while Reed attempted to assess the situation.

Hitting the light on his weapon, Reed could see that Jack was no longer going to be a problem.

"Jack's down," Reed reported.

"What about Jane?" Kurt demanded.

Turning his light Reed saw Jane, but she was being pinned down by Rich, who had obviously been wounded.

She was able to finally slip out from beneath him and assure Reed, "I'm fine, but Rich is hit."

"Jane's good," Reed reported, "Rich was shielding her and he's hit."

"How bad?" Kurt demanded, breathing in to calm down.

"It's in his side," Reed reported, "Not too bad."

"Not too bad?" Rich could be heard protesting loudly.

The team shared a relieve look at that rejoinder.

"Well meet you at the end of the tunnel," Kurt assured them.

"Copy that." Reed agreed, helping Rich stand.

Between Jane and Reed they made their way out of the compound and were greeted by the team.

Roman replaced Jane at Rich's side while Kurt pulled her away and began his inspection.

"You're not hit?" he confirmed his eyes verifying.

"Rich took it for me," Jane assured him.

Kurt looked over at the man that had long been the bane of his existence and suddenly felt affection. He wouldn't forget this…

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Rich was sitting up in the hospital bed and scowling at the team. He'd been in surgery to repair the damage and was grumpy,

"I don't want to spend the night here," he argued.

"Hospital regulation," Tasha shook her head sadly.

"Weller checked himself out," Rich insisted.

"Don't pout," Jane chided from her place inside the circle of Weller's arms.

"It easy for you to say," Rich insisted, "You get real food and a bed that's comfortable…what do I get? Horrible food, nurse Neanderthal and you know that they won't let me sleep here…"

"Redemption," Jane reminded him with a cheeky grin.

"Screw redemption," Rich insisted, "I want a medal…"

"Well," Kurt squeezed Jane before releasing her, "Since it's classified, we can't give you a medal, but we do have something for you."

Rich looked at Kurt's smiling expression in suspicion.

"You're not sending me back to prison…are you?" He demanded.

Kurt just shook his head sadly at the lack of trust.

"We got you this," He told Rich, while the team grinned on.

"What is it?" Rich asked taking the box Weller was holding out.

"Open it," Jane encouraged.

Rich lifted the lid and looked down at the silver ring with a shield stamped with his initial.

"You got me my ring?" He looked up with a huge grin.

"Matching rings," Patterson told him and each of them held up their hands showing off their matching rings.

Rich looked around at the team and to his consternation he felt suddenly weepy.

"I can't believe you did this," He told them looking down.

"Don't be getting all emotional on us," Reed said rubbing his neck in embarrassment.

"Put it on," Tasha insisted with a little smile at Reed's discomfort.

Rich immediately complied.

"Now we just need to come up with a team name…" He insisted hopefully.

"Rich," Kurt tried to stop him.

"Superfriends… no wait, that's already taken…What about Incredibles?"

"That was a Pixar movie," Patterson insisted.

"Invincible?" Rich suggested.

"We aren't Iron Man," Roman denied.

"That'd be cool though," Rich said thoughtfully.

"What about Weller's winners?" Rich suggested.

"I'm not calling you that," Weller warned him.

"We'll have to think of something," Rich insisted.

"Not tonight," Kurt denied, "Get some rest."

Rich watched the team file out with a smile.

Once it was just Kurt and Jane he looked over at them.

"Thank you Rich," Kurt told him moving over to the side of his bed.

"Anything for Jane," Rich told him truthfully.

Jane leaned down and kissed his check.

Watching them leave Rich looked down at his ring and couldn't contain his smile. Who knew being part of the good guys could be this much fun…


	30. Chapter 30

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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Kurt walked over to Jane and put his arms around her.

"How's it going?" He asked looking over her shoulder with a smile.

She looked down at the pastry wrapped sausages proudly.

"They look good," She admitted with a grin.

Reaching around her Kurt stole one from the tray, popping it into his mouth he agreed, "They taste good, too."

Jane swatted at his hand when he went in for a second one.

"Hey," She chided.

"I think we have plenty of food," Kurt insisted looking at the variety lining the counter.

Jane looked up and laughed, he was right. Kurt was responsible for most of the items displayed, but she'd helped plate.

Snatching a second helping Kurt began to pull on the string of her apron, with a little grin.

"Love the apron," He said as it loosened from around her.

"It was very sweet of you to get me my own," Jane told him. After the biscuit fiasco, it was probably his attempt at self-preservation.

Seeing the knowing look on her face he insisted, "It's not because you burnt my shirt."

"I know it was one of your favorites," Jane said with remorse.

It had been traumatic, Kurt silently admitted to himself, but not because she'd set his shirt on fire. It was because she'd been wearing it at the time. He could still remember his panic when he'd come out of the bedroom to find out what that smell was to find Jane attempting to pull off the shirt in question. He'd thought he was going to have a heart attack.

He just pulled her against him and leaned in to get his kiss. He'd loved her for a long time and it was still exciting getting to touch her and kiss her, knowing that she needed him as much as he needed her. They'd spent so much time getting to this moment. He knew he'd never take the privilege of being the one she turned to for granted.

Before he was ready, the doorbell rang.

Groaning he lifted his head to look down into her eyes, but didn't release her.

"They're here," He said with a little sigh.

She smiled up at his teasingly, "We better let them in."

As they turned toward the door, she let her hand drop and squeezed his tush.

He froze immediately. Dragging her to a halt, he leaned down and stole another quick kiss.

"If you don't stop that, they are going to wonder what we're doing in here." She warned him.

"You started it," He reminded her.

Opening the door they found Tasha waiting.

"Why do you invite us over when you so clearly want to be alone?" She teased stepping inside and passing Jane the desert she'd picked up from the deli.

Before Kurt could shut the door, Roman and Patterson arrived together.

"Look who I found wandering the streets," She said giving Jane a hug.

"I was walking over," Roman protested, "Not wandering the streets."

"So I offered you a lift," Patterson said defensively.

"Yelling out the window… _how much?_ Is offering me a lift?" Roman demanded his face flushing.

"You did not!" Tasha laughed over at Patterson.

"The reason we're late," Roman told them, "Is because she was pulled over for soliciting."

Jane was looking at Patterson in astonishment.

"I was let go with just a warning," Patterson muttered, her face red.

"She also gave him the desert she was brining." Roman ratted her out.

"They were donuts…" She admitted.

"They could have gotten you for bribery," Tasha teased her.

"The food looks great," Patterson said desperate to change the subject.

Jane leaned in and hugged Roman.

"I've never seen Patterson quite so flustered…good job," She whispered sharing a little grin with him.

Reed arrived next, followed closely by Stewart.

Rich was the last to arrive. Still sporting his bandage he made a show of greeting Jane before claiming his spot on the end of the couch.

Kurt stood up once everyone had a plate and addressed the group.

"I wanted to thank all of you for everything you've done to catch the person who placed the hit out on Jane. Keaton and Trent will be stopping by to give us an update on everything that's transpired since the raid on Jack's compound." Kurt explained.

Rich grimaced at that disclosure.

"This doesn't end here," Kurt went on, "We still have the tattoos and will continue to pursue them. None of this would be possible without each and every one of you."

It was only fifteen minutes later that the doorbell rang again.

Kurt looked over at Jane and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. He then looked over at Rich and gave him a warning glare.

Keaton and Trent arrived together.

"Thanks for coming," Kurt told them inviting them inside.

"Help yourselves to food," Kurt he offered moving back over to Jane.

Trent eyed the food suspiciously. After everything he'd recently been through, he was more than a little hesitant.

"You're not trying to poison me…are you?" He worried.

"Nothing is going to happen to you," Rich growled without looking up from his plate.

Keaton didn't hesitate. He began filling his plate before moving over to claim the chair next to Tasha.

Trent finally picked up a plate and joined them.

"So what happened with Director Horton?" Kurt looked over at Trent.

"Officially he had decided to retire," Trent told them taking a bite of food.

"Unofficially?" Reed asked him.

"He's been taken into custody and turned over to Keaton." Trent admitted.

Jane unconsciously stiffened at that disclosure.

Kurt placed his hand on her knee in support.

"Don't worry Jane," Keaton looked over at her in concern, "He caved immediately. Apparently, he's been crooked for a while. Another ethically weak bureaucrat corrupted by absolute power. He took the information that the Omaha program provided and began to line his pockets using the information the NSA obtained illegally. The only problem is the very program that provided him the Intel on his marks, also provided the NSA with Intel on him. Nas realized just what was happening and decided to use you to bring him down. It backfired and she became another casualty in an interoffice war for dominance. You'll be pleased to learn that the Omaha program has been shut down by the new NSA Director."

"Some pain in the backside idiot that we'll have to deal with regularly?" Rich demanded.

"He's the worst," Keaton agreed with a smile, "But fortunately for you, you already have all of his personal information on file."

Kurt looked over at Trent…"You were promoted?"

"Yeah," Trent agreed still eating, "I'm the pain in the backside idiot."

"Congratulations," Patterson told him.

"Thanks," Trent didn't exactly sound ecstatic, "Nothing like inheriting the biggest pile of shit and an office full of resentful Agents, makes what you all did to me seem almost affectionate."

"Director Horton purged the Omaha database as his last act of defiance," Trent told them, "So we have no way of figuring out exactly what he was doing or who is corrupt."

"There's one way," Keaton looked over at Kurt.

"What way?" Trent demanded, looking over at them with renewed hope.  
Keaton didn't say any more. It wasn't his secret to tell.

"Nas left clues for us," Kurt told Trent, "It's probably why Horton wanted Jane killed."

"That's wonderful!" Trent said with profound relief.

"The only place this data exists anymore," Patterson worried.

"That's why we are going to keep a tight lid on this," Kurt warned them.

"Where are the clues?" Trent asked looking around the room.

"They're hidden in computer code," Tasha lied, "We are working to crack the codes."

"Please keep me updated. I don't like the idea that I'm working next to someone that potentially wants me dead." Trent told them seriously.

"Of course," Kurt agreed, shooting Tasha a thankful look. He wanted to trust Trent and it looked like he might be able to, but he wasn't ready to risk Jane's life to find out.

The party went well into the night. Trent loosened up noticeably as the night progressed. By the end of the evening even Rich was teasing him.

As he was leaving Trent turned to Rich and demanded, "Do I have a home to go to?"

"I might have told him what you did to me," Keaton laughed.

"You're safe enough for now," Rich conceded, "Don't make me regret this decision."

Trent left with a relieved expression. The team watched him go with hidden smiles. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all…

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After the door closed on the rest of the team, Jane began to clean up.

Kurt turned to watch her silently.

She looked over at him with raised eyebrows.

"I know that look," She told him with a little smile.

"Cleanup can wait," He told her advancing on her with purpose.

"Oh, can it?" She said moving toward him with that smile she saved for him alone.

Reaching for her he picked her right off her feet and hoisted her over his shoulder gently.

"Hey," She protested as he smacked her bottom, before rubbing it gently.

"That's kind of nice," Jane admitted leaning down and returning the favor.

Kurt's cheek flexed as she squeezed.

He dropped her down on the center of the bed and climbed on after her. Once she was sheltered on all sides, he stopped and looked down into her eyes seriously, "I love you."

She reached up and cradled his face, "I love you too."

"I didn't think they would ever leave," He admitted, beginning to unbutton her shirt with purpose.

"I'd almost think you've been waiting for this," She teased him at the purposeful way he was disrobing her.

He stopped abruptly and looked up at her seriously. "I've been waiting for you all of my life."

Her teasing smile faded and she told him just as seriously, "Well, you _are_ my starting point."

He closed the space between them and kissed her gently. Pulling back he rubbed his cheek against hers and she smiled at the way his stubble tickled her skin.

He nuzzled her neck and breathed in deeply. She didn't wear perfume so her scent was body soap and Jane. He was addicted.

He needed this feeling. It was so much more than physical, although there could be no doubt that was a part of it. The feel of her skin against him, the sound of her sighs in his ear, their limbs intertwined, their fingers laced together. He needed this closeness. He wanted to hold her against him at night, wake up with her in the morning. He secretly treasured something as simple as watching her brush her teeth. When she bit her lip working on the crossword puzzle in the morning…the way she looked so happy to see him when he walked in the room. He'd never been one to linger, but he found himself looking forward to sitting on the couch with her at night, her legs across his lap…just being close.

Jane wrapped her arms around Kurt while he buried his face in her neck and closed her eyes. It scared her how much she loved him. He was amazing in every way. He did these amazing little things that meant so much and acted like it was no big deal. Maybe to him it wasn't, but for her, it was the moments that made her life worthwhile. When they first met she was struck by his inherent goodness. His unwavering support even in the face of the unknown had helped her at a time when she hadn't even known herself. She'd watched him struggle with what happened when the truth came out. He'd still watched out for her, even when he wouldn't allow himself to trust her. He supported her, fought for her, accepted her brother, and accepted her past.

Her arms tightened around him unconsciously and he lifted his head and looked down at her in concern.

"Everything okay?" He worried.

"You're so much more than I thought I'd ever have," Jane admitted, "What if one day…"

"What?" Kurt asked when she trailed off.

"You don't want me anymore?" There, her biggest fear was out.

"Jane," Kurt looked down at her tenderly, "I don't know how to stop needing and wanting you in my life. These moments I get to spend with you, even when we're attempting to dismantle a bomb or getting shot at, are what I live for. My worst moments with you are better than my best moments with anyone else."

She listened to him describe her feeling for him exactly. She knew he loved her, he'd told her many times, but this was the first time that she realized that his feelings for her were just as consuming as her feelings for him.

She felt a single tear slip free.

"What's the matter?" Kurt worried.

"I didn't know," Jane tried to explain.

"That I loved you?" Kurt couldn't imagine that.

"No," Jane tried to explain, "That you loved me like I love you."

"With everything I am?" He confirmed.

"It's just that I have always loved you," She confessed, "But you were in a relationship with Allie and then Nas, I just figured you loved me like you loved them."

This was serious, Kurt realized, sitting up and turning on the light.

"I was never in love with either of them," He told her looking into her eyes so there was no mistake. "I never told them I was and I never contemplated marrying either one of them."

"What?" Jane didn't understand.

"At best they were mistakes, at worst they were attempts to deny what I always knew." Kurt explained. "Even when Allie told me she was pregnant, all I could think was that I wished it were you."

"You want us to have children?" Jane smiled in surprise.

"Of course I do," Kurt admitted, his hand finding her flat stomach possessively.

"I want that too," Jane admitted, looking away in embarrassment.

The thought of her pregnant turned out to be a big turn on. Kurt gave her a heated look.

"What about you?" Kurt asked her, "You were engaged to Oscar and that water pollution specialist seemed pretty important to you."

"Oliver?" Jane shook her head.

"Yeah," Kurt confirmed with a scowl.

Jane looked at him puzzled, "Why don't you ever call him by his name?"

Kurt suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"What?" Jane waited.

"I don't call him by his name," Kurt admitted, "Because I can't stand him."

"Why?" Jane looked genuinely puzzled.

"He almost got you killed," Kurt explained, "He didn't protect you."

Jane raised her hand up and soothed away his scowl.

"I didn't love either one of them," Jane admitted softly.

"You were engaged to Oscar," Kurt worried.

"I must have thought I loved Oscar at one time," Jane admitted, "But when I really needed him, he used me and lied. In the end whatever we used to have wasn't strong enough to hold up when it really mattered. Oliver…he was a good guy, but I never loved him."

"You don't have to protect me," Kurt insisted, "I know you would never sleep with someone you didn't love. You were with him when they came to abduct him."

"I never actually…slept with Oliver." Jane looked away and admitted in embarrassment, "Unless you count when we were unconscious. "

"So you didn't love him?" Kurt asked seriously.

"Kurt," Jane said seriously, "I might not have known who I was or what was real, but one thing I never doubted was how I felt about you. I've love you from the beginning…only you."

"Even after you came back from the CIA?" Kurt asked in surprise.

"That's why it was so hard," Jane admitted, "Even when I was with the CIA and I had thought you turned me over to them…I still loved you."

That humbled him.

"This is a forever love," Kurt told her seriously, "There will _never_ be a time when I don't want and need you in my life."

"Promise?" Jane asked him with a smile.

"Promise," Kurt assured her adamantly.

"Where were we?" Jane feigned confusion.

"We were right about here," Kurt reminded her smiling when she drew in a sharp breath.

"Right," Jane agreed leaning up to kiss him. It wasn't long until neither one of them could think at all.

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Okay we have 98 days…3 hours and 32 minutes until Blindspot premier. Yeah! I am very excited that we are now in the two digits…but come on 98 DAYS? I'm never going to make that…

This day has been very challenging...sigh. I didn't think I would ever have a moment to post this fic… I feel excited that today I post my 30th chapter in a row…but no way will I ever be able to come up with 98 more chapters! Ha!

I will keep posting, but it will probably be a little more erratic. I want to thank everyone for the reviews. It is funny how just a few words of encouragement can inspire you to keep going.

We are only 17 days away from the Season 2 DVD release…so bring on the deleted scenes!


	31. Chapter 31

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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"You want us to do…what?" Kurt was looking at Patterson in disbelief.

"We're all going undercover at a Ninja Warrior type team competition." She explained patiently.

"Why?" Kurt's asked with a shake of his head.

"It's a tattoo," Patterson explained pulling up an image of the glowing tattoo on Jane's left lower abdomen.

Kurt rubbed his neck uncomfortably as the picture of his wife's body appeared on the screen.

Jane reached for his arm in understanding.

Patterson hit a few buttons and the picture became a graphic.

Kurt visually relaxed.

Jane smiled up at him and he placed his hand over hers and smiled back.

"How could this possibly have anything to do with government corruption?" Reed asked in confusion.

"The competition doesn't have anything to do with the actual tattoo," Patterson admitted, "It's the team we would be competing with that's the key."

She pulled up a picture of the current record holders. The group of seven holding up a trophy graced the screen.

"This is the team known as "The Invincible"." Patterson explained.

"I told you we needed a cool name," Rich broke in, "Now look what happened, they beat us to it."

"Rich," Kurt closed his eyes before turning to look back at Patterson.

She was openly laughing at him and he gestured for her to continue.

"They're the most successful competitors ever featured on this program…" Patterson explained.

"Program?" Tasha interrupted, "As in television program?"

"Yes," Patterson confirmed, "They were a military unit in the army before they retired and began pursuing extreme sports challenges."

"You want us to go undercover…on television?" Roman asked less than enthusiastic.

"Pass," Rich immediately piped up, "Although I'm sure I would be an asset to the team, I'm out. Have to keep a low profile."

Ignoring Rich's drama, Patterson continued, "The leader of the team is Vincent Scent."

"Vincent Scent?" Rich repeated with a little smirk.

"It's actually worse than you think," Patterson admitted, "He goes by the name Vin Scent."

"So he only uses his first name like Madonna or Prince?" Rich demanded.

"I don't think Prince was his first name," Stewart denied.

"No it was," Tasha insisted.

"Why do famous people name their kids these weird names?" Reed demanded.

"His parents weren't famous," Tasha teased him.

"So, what, I you don't have some weird name you won't be famous?" Reed asked her.

"Prince isn't really that unusual," Roman piped in.

"You picked the name Roman…" Tasha taunted him, "So you obviously wouldn't think so."

"My name isn't weird," Roman protested.

"Okay," Kurt interrupted, "Enough. Patterson, please finish your explanation. Everyone else pipe it down."

Roman looked over at Jane in dismay and she shook her head at him, assuring him that his name wasn't weird. He looked relieved before he turned back to Patterson.

Catching the exchange Patterson smiled, but did as Kurt requested.

"As I was saying," She said pointedly, "Vin Scent is the leader of this group and he was also in charge of them when they were in the army. Physically they're going to be hard to beat, but that's okay because we don't actually need to beat them, just get close enough to prove that they are busy selling out our government secrets while they promote being the ultimate soldiers."

"Espionage?" Tasha scowled.

"They don't hold down regular jobs, they live off the winnings, but they live far beyond their means." Patterson pulled up their financial information.

"Wow," Reed looked at the balance of their accounts with a whistle.

"If they aren't with the military anymore, where are they getting the information they're selling?" Roman demanded.

"From their manager," Patterson pulled up a very familiar picture.

"That's Lester Franklin he's the Army's Chief Intelligence Officer," Kurt identified him immediately.

"Give that man a cookie," Patterson smiled, "He knows his government officials."

"Well," Kurt looked over at Patterson and told her, "He also knows me."

"So we have to go in without Kurt?" Jane asked in dismay.

"No," Kurt denied, "That's not happening."  
"We aren't going undercover at all," Patterson denied, "We're going in as a special program featuring different branches of the government attempting to outperform the others."

"So Army, Airforce, Marines, Navy, NSA, FBI, CIA, Homeland security?" Kurt confirmed.

"That's right," Patterson agreed.

"I'll be the manager," Rich volunteered. This he really wanted to see.  
"So we're not going to try to win?" Reed asked in disappointment.

"Oh," Kurt denied, "We're going to win."

The other's smiled at the absolute assurance in his voice.

"Damn right," Tasha agreed with a smile.

Jane looked over at Kurt with a twinkle in her eyes. He winked at her and she leaned in and squeezed him.

They were sooo going to win…

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"This is not like Ninja Warriors," Roman told Patterson bluntly looking down at the scheduled events.

"Ninja Warriors on steroids," Reed agreed with a scowl.

"It's not that bad," Patterson protested.

"The obstacle course and shooting competitions are expected. The skydiving and swimming challenges are less expected, but still understandable. Hand to hand is going to suck, have you seen some of these guys?" Roman said in frustration.

"The bigger they are…" Tasha insisted.

"The harder they fall," Patterson finished for her.

"Unless they fall _on_ you," Reed argued.

"Don't be a wimp," Tasha scoffed.

"They also have climbing," Jane said in surprise.

"Capture the flag, knife throw, bomb disarming, driving challenge…" Kurt finished for them.

"Most of these teams have been training for almost a year." Patterson admitted.

"What happened to the team that was supposed to be representing the FBI?" Jane asked Patterson.

"They might be under investigation…" She said shamefaced.

"You didn't!" Tasha was shocked.

"I didn't set them up," Patterson denied, "I just forwarded some very questionable practices to the correct oversight."

"So when is this event supposed to start?" Kurt asked her.

"Tomorrow," Patterson admitted.

"Tomorrow," Zapata repeated with no inflection in her voice, "So they've been training for over a year…and we don't get to train at all."

"Pretty much," Patterson admitted.

"So how do we prepare?" Stewart worried.

"We watch videos of the past competitions and I've developed a dossier on the other teams." Patterson pulled up the files.

The team watched with growing horror as Patterson first went through each of the challenges.

"First we have an obstacle course. There are 10 challenges ranging from climbing to lifting, balance, speed, physical endurance, team work, ropes, deduction, targeting…you name it, it's in there."

"Who's doing that?" Stewart asked.

"We all have to do it," Patterson explained, "There are two challenges that require all the team members to participate, the obstacle course is first and the second is capture the flag."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Reed said hopefully.

"Its full contact," Patterson warned him.

"What?" Zapata demanded.

Patterson typed a few key strokes and a picture came up of two teams battling it out.

"Holy crap," Stewart thought he was going to be sick.

"That can't be legal," Roman said when two of one team knocked out on of their competitors.

"The only thing you can't do," Patterson said, "Is permanently injure or kill another contender."

"They don't exactly look like they are being careful," Reed argued.

"This is the place that most contestants get hurt," Patterson admitted.

"So they do this last?" Jane asked with a troubled frown.

"No," Patterson denied, "First."

"So if one of your team is hurt…you're what? Out?" Kurt asked.

"No," Patterson denied, "The other members of your team need to complete the remaining challenges."

"But..." Zapata argued, "Isn't that incentive to hurt the other competitors?"

"Exactly," Patterson agreed, "The Invincibles take out people in this round every time."

"What, half the competition?" Reed asked watching them obliterate the team on the screen.

"No," Patterson denied, "That would be too obvious. They take out the key competitors."

"How do they know who they are?" Rich asked with a puzzled frown.

"It's the members enrolled in the most individual competitions." Kurt realized.

"So it puts a target on their back," Jane agreed.

"Yes," Patterson admitted.

"So what do we do?" Stewart worried.

"We form two groups," Jane looked over at Kurt.

He smiled as he caught her eyes.

"One to protect the team…" Roman realized.

"One to get the flag," Reed finished.

"Okay," Kurt looked around the group, "We have a plan for Capture the flag and we'll drag each other through the obstacle course. What else?"

"We need two people for bomb disarming," Patterson told them.

"You," Kurt said immediately, "Reed and Stewart are the other options."

"Stewart," Patterson insisted, "Reed is needed other places."

"Okay," Kurt agreed, "Patterson and Stewart."  
"We have driving," Patterson went on.

"What kind?" Reed asked, "Racing or obstacle."

"Both," Patterson pulled up that video.

"That's demolition derby," Roman insisted with a little grin.

"How can you look at that and smile?" Rich demanded.

"Okay," Patterson suggested, "We have our first volunteer."

"Wait," Kurt stopped her, "We need to see everything we have before we decide."

"Okay," Patterson agreed changing screens.

"Obstacle- All of us."

"Capture the Flag- All of us."

"Bomb Disarment- Stewart and I."

"That leaves: Driving, Shooting, Skydiving, Swimming, Hand to Hand, Climbing, and Knife Throwing."

"We can all drive and shoot," Kurt insisted.

"I've never been skydiving," Zapata said.

"Who can skydive?" Kurt asked the group.

Only Jane held up her hand.

"How many do we need?" Kurt looked over at Patterson.

"Just one," She assured them.

"Looks like we found our skydiver," Kurt looked at Jane with a concerned expression.

"What about rock climbing?" Kurt looked at the team.

This time both Jane and Roman raised their hands.

"How many?" Kurt demanded.

"Two," Patterson admitted.

"Fill them in," Kurt wasn't happy.

"Swimming?" Patterson looked around.

"What kind of swimming?" Kurt was afraid he already knew the answer.

"Long distance." Patterson told him.

Jane raised her hand.

"How many?" Kurt demanded.  
"Just one."

"How far?" Kurt asked.

"A mile."

"In a pool?" Reed worried.

"No," Patterson denied, "Open water."

"I can do it," Kurt insisted.

"What?" Jane looked at him puzzled.

"I can do it," He insisted.

"Why?" She demanded.

"If we put you down too many times, they will target you." Kurt argued.

"If we want to win…" Jane insisted.

"I don't give a damn about winning anymore," Kurt denied.

"What?" Jane knew just how competitive Kurt was.

"Jane," Kurt looked at her seriously, "They are going to try to hurt the person they identify as a threat."

"That's just another challenge of the competition," She argued.

"It's just a game," Kurt insisted, "Our mission is to bring down the people responsible for selling out this country."

"So what do we do? Just put each of us down for any event, just so we don't draw the attention of the other teams?" Tasha asked.

"What if we have to actually compete in that event?" Stewart worried.

"We can alter the line up at any time," Patterson assured them.

"So we'll set it up evenly," Kurt told Patterson, "And adjust it after we complete the team competitions."

"I'll do it," Patterson assured him.

"Is there anything else we should know?" Kurt asked her.

"The CIA team has a new member." Patterson explained.

"Who?" Kurt worried.

"Keaton," Patterson looked at Jane in apology.

"Its fine," Jane assured with a forced smile.

The others knew better, but didn't call her on it.

The next few days would prove to be…challenging.

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Kurt looked at other teams with a frown. A couple of them had women, but the majority of them were entirely male. Almost half their team was female, but he didn't worry, sometimes you needed to offset the testosterone high with calm logic. He figured they had the advantage. Not to mention his ladies could totally kick ass.

"Weller," Keaton walked over to greet him.

"Keeton," Weller returned.

"How the hell did we get into this?" Keaton asked looking around them.

"Same way, I imagine." Kurt looked over at him in calm resignation.

"Some of these young guys have no control," Keaton warned him looking at the team under investigation.

"We'll be fine," Kurt insisted.

Keaton looked over at Kurt's team, "You really only needed Tasha."

Kurt looked up at him with a smile, Keaton's admiration for his Agent was well known. Keaton headed back toward his team.

Kurt let his smile fall. If the truth were told, he was concerned about his team. He would never risk them for something this…irrelevant. Moving back toward Jane he took her hand as they waited.

When the teams rosters went up Kurt looked over at Rich with a scowl when the team was listed as "Weller's Warriors".

He was clearly without remorse.

Jane hid her smile.

The obstacle course was impressive. They watched as teams before them went and it was only when they saw one of the competitors from another team fall from the ropes section and break their leg that they realized that even without physical confrontation, nothing about any of this was safe.

Finally they were up. Unlike some of the teams that had split up as they moved through the course, they stayed close together.

Their time didn't stop until the last member crossed the finish line, so trying to be a lone super soldier made no sense. When they came to the ropes, Jane stayed with Stewart and they went across together. When it came to the wall, Kurt made it to the top first and then he reached down and they formed a chain to ensure that everyone would make it over the top. The announcers were impressed with how well Weller's Warriors could work together. They even noted that this team was new to the competition, replacing a team that had to withdraw in the last moments.

When they finally all got to the finish line, they were a respectable second. Since each individual event would be totaled with the team events, they were more than pleased with the results.

"Not too bad," A voice called to them.

Looking over they saw none other than Vin Scent walking toward them. Their team was the only team to have beaten them.

"You too," Kurt greeted him.

"We've been doing this…a little while," Vin said looking over the group. He skipped over the men to focus on the women.

"We didn't even know we were coming to this yesterday," Patterson admitted.

"Even more impressive," Vin admitted. He got to Jane and his eyes lingered.

She shifted uncomfortably over his blatant look.

"Kurt Weller," Kurt drew his attention.

"Vin Scent," Vin shook his hand.

"How many of these competitions have you completed?" Kurt asked him.

"Just under twenty," Vin was still looking at Jane.

Reed deliberately walked over to block his view. He did it casually, in a bid to get some water, but his movements were deliberate. He didn't like the look that Vin was giving Jane and he also didn't like the look that Kurt was now giving Vin. This wasn't going to be fun, he realized.

"I know you," Vin said suddenly, moving to see past Reed.

"What?" Jane asked him bluntly.

"You're…Remi." Vin insisted.

Jane felt her heart sink.

"Actually," Kurt interrupted them, "She's Jane Weller. My wife."

Vin ignored Kurt and walked closer to Jane.

"No," Vin denied, "I worked with a woman named Remi six years ago. I'll never forget her…you're Remi."

"Jane," Jane insisted.

Vin smiled, unconvinced, "My mistake."

Watching him walk away, Kurt knew they were in trouble. He'd deliberately kept them from featuring Jane in the competition so that she would have the safety of anonymity, but if Vin had worked with Remi, then he was well aware of her skills. They would target her for sure.

Moving to Jane's side he worried, "We need to pull you from the competition."

"We can't," Jane denied, "I'm the only one that can skydive and climb."

"He knows who you are," Kurt insisted, "They are going to target you."

"He knew who I was," Jane denied, "I'm not the same woman I was six years ago."

"We don't know the context," Kurt insisted, "If you were on assignment, he is well aware of what you can do."

"Look," Jane placed her hand on his arm, "We only need to get through the next competition. Once we complete capture the flag, they won't have the chance to sideline me."

"They might not need it," Roman joined them, "They are all going after you."

"That's good." Jane insisted.

"What?" Patterson demanded.

"If they focus on me," Jane insisted, "You and the rest of the team can get the flag."

"So you'll draw them away?" Tasha worried.

"We'll draw them away," Kurt insisted, his eyes hard.

Jane got her determined look, "We'll draw them away."

"Weller's Warriors to the field," Came the announcement.

"We can do this," Jane insisted.

"We need to this fast," Roman told the rest of the team.

"Anyone we need to take out?" Stewart asked them.

They all looked over at him in shock.

"What?" Weller asked.

"Let's bring the game to them," Stewart suggested.

Kurt actually smiled at that suggestion. "Let's bring it."

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When they walked from the field, they were dirty, but triumphant.

Just as they suspected the entire team, in mass, went after Jane. After seriously underestimating the other members of Weller's Warriors, they could only watch as they were soundly trounced. It didn't help that two of their team had been sidelined by Jane and Weller. It was now five members to seven.

"I haven't seen anything that exciting in a long time," The announcers were very exuberant.

"The two man hit team from Weller's Warriors took on the entire team Invincible and made their name a complete lie." The first announcer noted.

"I was impressed by their recon team," The second announcer insisted, "I have never seen any team throw a knife to cut down the flag before."

"Well," The first one laughed, "Using the rope to take down the flag is so…time consuming."

"Well, if they had," The second one admitted, "There would probably fewer team members left on the Invincables. The tables have been officially turned on our reigning champs."

"I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow." The first one agreed.

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Individual competitions tomorrow…I hope you don't think that means the update to this story will happen by then! Ha. Hang in there…(get it?)…I'll finish these stories eventually.

I am too busy gushing over the posted script page. Please be real time! Finger's crossed. I would love happy Jeller facing outside threats for season 3. I don't really need any more internal conflict and Jeller angst. Solid Jeller facing the word as the best kick ass team on the planet…a girl can dream, right? :)


	32. Chapter 32

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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While the other teams celebrated the end of the first day, Weller's Warriors were busy doing recon. They were able to hack into Franklin's computer system, but were unable to find any incriminating evidence to tie him to the charges.

"What if they simply use these games as a cover?" Tasha insisted, "They already have the Intel, they just need to make the drop."

"Makes sense," Reed agreed, "But who are they dropping it to and when?"

"I don't know," Kurt admitted, "But we have three more days to figure it out."

"Every day we don't find what we're looking for is another day we have to compete," Stewart noted.

"Well," Kurt pulled Jane up from the couch they'd been sharing, "Tomorrow is another long day and we better get some sleep."

Jane followed Kurt to their room.

"We're going to be fine," Jane assured him.

Kurt put his arm around her, but didn't say anything. No other alternative was acceptable.

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Jane adjusted the goggles on her face and waited for the back doors of the plane to open. The skydiving challenge was a night challenge, or technically early morning. They were to hit a target the size of a soda can using only their GPS and navigational skills. She wasn't worried. Each team had a member waiting and they were going to jump in mass. She knew the only chance of confrontation would be on the way out of the plane and on the ground. She was betting on the way out. With that in mind, she looked over her shoulder at Keaton, who'd pushed his way in behind her. He met her eyes with a little nod. He had her back and despite herself she was relieved.

The plane door began to open and the sound of the wind filled the plane.

Not all the teams had assembled to watch this part of the competition, but each of the competitors had lights attached to their backpacks so that they could be monitored from the ground. Jane's light was pink. The entire team… including Rich, were waiting for her by the target. Kurt, she knew, was anxious. He'd tried to cover it, but she knew him too well. She didn't think he'd gotten much sleep.

When the order to jump came, Jane didn't hesitate and she was relieve to realize once she cleared the plane that confrontation had been avoided. She knew she had Keaton to thank for that.

She waited a moment before pulling the chute so that she wouldn't have to fight a bottle neck at the finish line. Pulling the rope she braced herself for the jerk, but there wasn't one. He chute was tangled. He heart began to pound and she reached for her knife to cut it away…

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On the ground the team waited anxiously for the event to start.

"Why would anyone willingly jump from a plane?" Reed demanded.

"I don't think that Jane's training all came willingly…" Patterson reminded him.

"Why don't you jump?" Tasha looked over at Roman.

"Jane learned these skills in the military," Roman explained, "I stayed with Sheppard."

Just then they could see the jumpers.

"They're going," Rich said excitedly.

"What color is Jane?" Stewart asked Patterson.

"Pink," Patterson explained.

"Of course," Tasha scoffed. She was the only female jumper.

"It's just a color," Reed assured her.

"Whatever," Tasha argued.

"There she is," Roman said.

They watched as Jane's light suddenly appeared. Kurt didn't say anything. His entire focus was on that light.

The other lights had obviously pulled there chutes because they began to float down slowly, while Jane's continued to move rapidly.

"Why isn't she pulling her cord?" Patterson demanded in a scared voice.

"Somethings wrong," Tasha insisted, grabbing on to Reed's arm in shock.

Kurt couldn't say anything, his entire focus on the horror before him.

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It only took a few moments to cut away the tangled chute and Jane reached for her backup chute. When she pulled the line nothing happened. It was then that she realized just how much trouble she was in.

Keaton kept his eyes on Jane as they began their decent. He watched her pull her chute and did the same. His deployed, but hers didn't. He watched in concern as she cut the chute away, as she rapidly descended she didn't deploy the backup chute and he knew if he didn't act fast, this could all go very wrong. He disconnected his primary chute and began to descend after her, she was clearly in distress and if he waited any longer…he wouldn't be able to do anything but watch.

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"What's happening?" Roman demanded when a second light began to descend rapidly.

"Someone's trying to help her," Patterson realized.

"Who is that?" Rich demanded.

"The blue light is…Keaton." Patterson looked up from the schedule and back at the now two rapidly falling lights.

Kurt felt his heart racing and he had a distinct ringing in his ears. Opening his mouth he abruptly realized he was holding his breath. Unable to tear his eyes from the scene before him, he clenched his fists and waited.

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Jane knew she was done. She had no recourse. Falling rapidly she could only think about Kurt and what this was going to do to him.

Suddenly out of the darkness she saw another jumper gaining on her position. It was Keaton she realized with renewed hope.

He reached for her and caught her against him. She held on for dear life. She knew he was taking a huge risk and the ground was rapidly approaching them. He took the time, however, to clip her harness to his before he pulled his backup chute. The sudden jarring was the best feeling in the world. He kept his arms around her for a moment before he gave her a tight squeeze and reached for the steering lines. She never let go.

They landed on the bullseye well ahead of the other competitors.

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Kurt watched as the two light converged and held his breath as they both continued to fall.

"Why doesn't he pull the chute?" Roman demanded.

"He has to secure her to him," Stewart realized.

When the lights were too close to the ground, they abruptly slowed their descent.

"He's got her," Roman said in relief, his voice unsteady.

Kurt closed his eyes and sank down to his haunches, his legs unwilling to remain upright. It was Rich that placed a steading hand on his shoulder as they both watched Jane and Keaton come closer and closer.

By the time they reached the ground, Kurt had rallied his strength and he met them on the field.

The parachute hadn't even touched the ground before Kurt had Jane in his arms.

Keaton released her harness and stepped back. His hands were shaking as he watched Weller recover.

Jane held Kurt just as tightly, but she looked over Kurt's shoulder at Keaton.

"Thank you," She told him.

"I owed you," Keaton smiled at her.

The team pulled him into their celebration and Keaton laughed.

"I think you need a new car…"Rich speculated.

"Naw," Keaton hastily assured him, "I'm good."

Kurt turned to Keaton, but he didn't get the handshake he expected, Weller pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you," He said, still recovering.

"She's worth the risk," Keaton assured him.

Jane was next. She walked over to Keaton and they looked at each other. He held out his arms and she stepped into them without hesitation. It was the last step that bridged the chasm that had always stood between them. It was a bond that was forged in fire, rock solid it would carry them through no matter what they faced.

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Kurt needed a moment. His heart still hadn't settled and he doubted it would any time soon. He'd almost lost her…again.

He knew the team wanted to see her, assure themselves that she was alive and in one piece, but he wanted to pull her against him and never let her go.  
"What happened?" Roman demanded holding her tightly.

"My primary chute was tangled and my secondary chute didn't deploy." Jane explained, still watching Kurt in concern. He was pale and silent. His eyes never left her.

Looking at her Kurt saw the ropes dangling from her harness where she had cut away the primary chute. It made everything all too real. He waited as long as he could before he reclaimed her and pulled her against him tightly. He knew he needed to loosen his grip, but he couldn't seem to do it.

"Ms. Weller," One of the officials came over.

Jane looked at him and waited.

"We need to ask you for your harness so that we may inspect it to find out what happened." The official explained.

Keaton walked over behind Jane and inspected the harness himself.

"Her secondary chute is missing," He turned toward the official his anger apparent.

"That's not possible," The man protested joining him.

When he saw that it was true, his face seemed to pale.

"I don't understand," He stammered.

"Who packs the chutes?" Keaton demanded.

"We have a team that does that," The man explained.

"When did you get the chute?" Patterson worried.

"I didn't get it until the plane," Jane explained.

"Did you get it randomly?" Reed asked.

"No," Jane denied, "I was assigned the pink light…this was my designated chute."

They all knew that meant it could have been easily tampered with. They all knew who the most likely suspect was.

"In light of these findings," The official assured them, "You will of course be offered a chance to re-jump later tonight."

Kurt stiffened at that offer.

"What happens if she doesn't jump?" Rich demanded.

"Then you'll have to forfeit this challenge. It will make it all but impossible for your team to even place if you choose to do that." He explained.

Jane knew Kurt didn't care about winning, but if she willingly forfeited the other teams would suspect that they were here for some other reason.

"I'll jump," Jane assured the official, holding onto Kurt tightly in reassurance.

"I'll jump again as well," Keaton immediately offered, "It's always a good idea to jump with a partner."

"Thanks," Jane looked over at him and their eyes met. He winked at her in assurance and she raised her chin in acknowledgement.

It was just then that the other jumpers began to arrive.

They moved off the field and Kurt helped Jane remove her harness, but he didn't pass it over to the waiting official, but to Patterson.

She took it and began to inspect it, the team converged and watched.

"Man, I thought you were a goner," The team Invincible member walked over and looked down at Jane with an insincere smile.

Kurt took a step toward him, but Jane placed her hand on his chest while looking over at the man and answering, "It was close."

"If you don't know how to jump," the man insisted, "You should probably just cut your losses."

It was Roman that stepped forward and knocked him on is ass.

"What the hell," The man jumped up and took a step toward Roman.

Keaton warned him, "You really don't want to do that."

"Who the hell are you?" The man looked over at Keaton in resentment.

"Jack Keaton, CIA." He said clearly.

"You know each other?" The man demanded.

"We've met," Keaton agreed, not giving away just how close they were.

"So you risked your life for someone you know casually?" The man said in disbelief.

"I'm sure you would have done the same thing if you had realized just what was happening," Keaton had never been more certain a statement was false.

"Sure," The man began to turn away, "See you on the sparring field he told them over his shoulder."

"I'm definitely sparring," Roman told Patterson, "I am too," Kurt agreed.

"I'm in," Reed agreed.

"We need three," Patterson agreed, "But one of them needs to be female."

"I've got this," Tasha assured them.

"Let's get out of here," Kurt insisted.

They left the field as a team, each of them knowing just how closely they had come to losing a vital piece of the puzzle that made up the picture of their family. Patterson took Jane's harness with them. The officials looked at their determined faces and didn't try to stop them.

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Kurt held Jane's naked and sleeping body against him. He'd spent a good portion of their time between events reassuring himself that she was whole and here with him. He had needed her physically and his body was sated, but his arms weren't done… they locked her against him tightly. He hands weren't done…they continued to run gently down her sleeping back. His nose wasn't done… it was buried in her hair breathing her in. His eyes weren't done…they traced he features lovingly. His heart wasn't done…it beat with her rhythm. He knew she was going back up to jump again and he wanted protest with everything in him. He wouldn't. He knew why she was doing it and if she was strong enough to face it, he would be strong enough to let her.

The sparring was in a couple of hours and Kurt welcomed it. He needed an outlet for this overwhelming fear and he knew just what to do with it…


	33. Chapter 33

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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Vin looked across the mat at where Kurt was waiting. He wasn't worried. He was younger, more experienced in these competitions. The referee was going over the rules with them and he had heard it all before and Weller didn't seem care.

When they called _GO_ , Vin studied Weller, watching him stand there. Suddenly Weller moved and Vin felt the impact. They hit the ground hard, but that wasn't as bad as when Weller really let go. He felt the blows to his face and head. The referee ended the round. He stood up shaking his head and attempting to gather his wits. What in the hell had just happened?

As they readied for the next round, Vin crouched low and prepared himself. He wouldn't underestimate Weller again. He might be older, but he was fast…really fast.

"Go," The ref called.

This time it was Vin that charged, but Weller was waiting on him. He found himself back on the mat, Weller's fists going for his ribs.

"Break," Yelled the ref.

Weller stood up without a word and looked down at Vin with an expression that was completely devoid of emotion. Vin felt fear. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he knew when he was bested.

Standing back up he waited for the next round.

"Go," The ref urged.

This time Vin was more cautious, he didn't charge…he waited. That didn't work either. Weller circled him but didn't move in. Weller didn't take him to the floor this time. He must have realized that would end the match. This time he played with him. Vin's face was bloody by the time that Weller ended the round with a knee to his face.

Kurt looked down at the bloody and unconscious man lying at his feet and only regretted that it was over…for now at least.

Kurt turned to look at where Jane was watching in concern. The team was looking very satisfied, but Jane only looked worried.

He moved over to her side and immediately asked her, "What's wrong?"

"Are you okay?" She reached up and ran her hand around to the back of his neck, feeling the tension there.

"I'm getting there," He tried to reassure her.

She rested her head against his chest while she watched the medical personnel attempt to revive Vin. This was a side to Kurt that she had only seen a handful of times. When they'd been tortured looking into the dime bomb tattoos, when she'd been framed as a Russian spy, the day Sandstorm had raided the NYO…her arms tightened around him protectively. This was a sign that he was hurting and she would do anything to take that away.

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"What just happened?" The first announce said after an extendedly long silence.

"I have no idea," The second announcer admitted. "We have just watched one of the most elite competitors these games have ever seen be taken to school."

"He didn't even get in one good blow," The first announcer agreed.

"Weller's Warriors don't seem to be taking any prisoners." The second announcer noted.

"After what happened this morning," The announcer admitted, "I expected them to come out struggling, but they seem more driven than ever."

"Near tragedy can do that," The second announcer agreed.

"Well, I can tell you I wouldn't want to enter the mats with any of Weller's Warriors today," The first one said with a little laugh.

"We've got one really unlucky competitor about to do just that…let's see how this goes."

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Roman rubbed his hands together absently waiting for his turn on the mat with the loud mouth that had taunted Jane this morning. He didn't look near so smug after witnessing Weller's round. Roman was focused. He needed all of his restraint…or this guy might not make it.

Looking over at Jane he drew that strength from her belief in him. He wouldn't let her down by losing control. That didn't mean that this bastard wasn't going to bleed.

When the ref yelled, "Go." Roman waited.

The man sparring him had wild eyes and telegraphed his moves. Roman didn't take him down, he just put him down.

"Break," The ref called as his opponent was laying on the ground attempting to catch his breath. He'd been lifted off the ground and then slammed down forcing the air from his lungs.

Standing back up he considered throwing in the towel. The man across from him had a scar down his face and death in his eyes. He could barely catch his breath and his opponent wasn't even winded.

"Go," The ref yelled.

Roman went. When he stood back up and looked down at his unconscious opponent he didn't feel any better.

Grabbing a towel he moved back over to the team without looking back.

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"I've never seen anything like that," The first announcer finally said.

"I think he moved so fast that he actually blurred for a second," The second announcer said into the mike, "Did you see that?"

"No," The first one admitted with an uncomfortable laugh, "I actually didn't _see_ what happened."

"Who are these guys?" The second one asked.

"They are last minute replacements for the FBI team that was sidelined." The first admitted.

"This is their second string?" The second demanded, "What did the other team look like?"

"Man…don't mess with the FBI," The first said with an uncomfortable little laugh.

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It was Tasha's turn. She moved over to the mat and waited. When nobody came over she looked over at her team in confusion. _Had Roman and Kurt scared everyone off?_ She thought in amusement.

When the opponent finally stepped forward it was a very large male.

"Hold up," Weller called moving over toward the ref. "What's going on?"

"The opponent she was up against has pulled out of the competition," The ref explained, "That means that someone from her team has to take her place in this challenge."

"Shouldn't it be another woman?" Kurt demanded.

"They don't have any other women on their team," The ref explained, "If you're team mate doesn't want to spar, she has to forfeit the match."

"Don't worry Kurt," Tasha said sizing up her opponent, "I've got this."

Kurt took a deep breath and looked over into Zapata's determined face.

"Don't hurt him," He told her turning away.

"No promises," Tasha said to his retreating back.

"Kick his ass…" Patterson yelled from the sideline.

Tasha smiled as she waited for the match to start.

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"Well this can't be good," The second announcer said watching the small woman looking over at the very large man.

"She's got to be wondering what she did to deserve this," The first announce agreed.

"Sometimes things just workout like this." The second announcer agreed.

"GO," The ref shouted in the background.

"I almost can't watch," The first admitted.

When he charged, Tasha used his momentum against him and as she flipped him over her shoulder she followed him down with a knee to the center of his chest. His breath was forced from his lungs, but it was the announcers that were speechless.

"He has to have a hundred pounds on her and she just threw him over her shoulder as though he were weightless…" The second announcer finally reported.

"He doesn't seem too pleased…" The first agreed, his voice filled with awe.

"GO," The ref called.

This time the man got in a good hit, but Zapata didn't go down. She turned and used the technique that Jane had so patiently taught her after she'd sparred Roman. Once she had him on the mat she extended his arm just past comfort.

"Is he tapping?" The first announcer demanded.

"He's tapping," The second announcer agreed his voice filled with elation.

"I think I'm in love," The first announcer admitted.

"Stand in line…" The second agreed.

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When Tasha joined the team Reed walked up to her to inspect her bloody lip.

"Are any of your teeth loose?" He demanded in concern.

"No," Tasha assured him with an eye roll.

"You should have hit him where it hurts most," He argued, still incensed over the Invincible's dirty techniques.

"Oh," Tasha assured him, "He'll be feeling that for a long time."

Seeing the way the other competitors were ribbing him and his silent fuming, Reed smiled. She was sure right about that.

"Good job," Kurt told Tasha, his hand on her shoulder. "We need to see if we can find Franklin in the crowd."

"We're on it," Stewart agreed as the team smiled at Tasha and started to spread out looking for their target.

Jane and Tasha shared a conspiratorial smile as they both turned away.

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"You want to do what?" Jane demanded, looking at Kurt in concern.

"I want to jump tandem," He insisted.

"But you know my chute has already been tampered with once," She reminded him.

"That's exactly why." Kurt admitted.

"What if something happens?" Jane demanded, not liking this at all.

"Then we go together," Kurt insisted.

"You don't mean that," Jane denied.

"Would you want to have to bury me?" He asked her.

She paled at the question.

"NO!" She couldn't even control her response.

"Exactly," Kurt pushed home his point, "We go together."

"I don't think they'll let us," Jane denied. "And you've never jumped before. After watching me fall this morning do you really want to step out of that plane?"

"I can't stand on the ground and watch you fall," Kurt told her bluntly, "I would jump out of a hundred planes before I can stand here and do that again."

"We can ask," Jane finally relented.

"I already have," Kurt admitted, "They've agreed."

"I need to check the chute," Jane worried.

"Keaton already has," Kurt told her, "He also took command of both yours and his chute and upgraded them to be able to handle the additional load."

"Are you sure?" Jane worried.

"We're in this together," Kurt reminded her.

"Together," Jane agreed pulling him close and holding him tightly. The last thing she wanted to do was take Weller with her when she jumped. She didn't want to tell anyone just how afraid she really was. The thought of taking him with her only made her more anxious. What if something happened?

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Roman watched the plane take off and wanted to curse. It had been bad enough the first time, after having to witness the last jump he felt a little like he might throw up.

Suddenly Patterson was beside him, she looked every bit as nervous as he felt. Looking down into her worried eyes Roman placed his arm around her. She burrowed in and he held on tight. He would never have admitted it, but he suddenly felt better. Nervous but grounded. He looked down at the blond head buried against his chest and shook his head in confusion.

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The plane left the ground and Jane held Weller's hand tightly. Keaton was sitting on her other side and she knew he was anxious as well. She looked over at him and reached for his hand. He grabbed hers and held it tightly.

"I checked the chutes three times," Keaton assured her, "And I haven't let them out of my sight after the last check."

Jane nodded in understanding.

Kurt knew Jane was nervous and he wasn't feeling great about jumping, but he knew waiting would have been much worse. Once they reached altitude, the back doors opened and Jane stood up and turned to Kurt. She checked his harness before looking over at Keaton who gave her a reassuring smile.

Looking back up at Kurt she leaned in and kissed him in reassurance. He held her tightly and smiled down at her. They jumped together.

Falling Kurt could feel Jane behind him as the wind rushed by. It was dark, but the lights on the ground shown like diamonds. He reached back and wrapped his arm behind him to hold her while he waited for her to pull the chute. His heart was racing, but with his arm finding her in the dark, he was content.

Jane wrapped both arms around Kurt as they cleared the plane. She hated to admit it, but she didn't know if she'd been able to jump if it hadn't been for Kurt. She'd been so concerned about reassuring him, there hadn't really been time to worry. She figured that was one of the reasons he was doing this. Reluctantly releasing him, she reached for the cord. Her breath left in a relieved rush when she felt the chute deploy seamlessly.

Keaton waited until he was sure Jane and Weller were stable before he pulled his chute. With a shake of his head and a relieved little smile he watched the couple head for the target. Meeting them had changed his life. He was still trying to decide if it had been a curse or a blessing.

Watching them land on the bull's-eye and the team converge on them, he shook his head. He knew they were a lot of trouble, but there was no doubt they were well worth it. Landing he let them pull him into their celebration. One thing was for certain, he would never bet against them…


	34. Chapter 34

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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"We know how they're passing the information." Patterson told the team with excitement in her voice.

"How?" Kurt demanded.

"They're hiding it in the trophy," Stewart told them.

"They get the trophy…" Jane insisted, "How is that helping them?"

"That's just it," Patterson insisted, "They are awarded the trophy, but they don't keep it. It goes to the people responsible for hosting the venue."

"So the corruption isn't just the team," Kurt realized, "It's the entire program?"

"Exactly," Stewart agreed, "They're hiding it in plain sight."

"So they're essentially broadcasting espionage?" Jane shook her head.

"Who's in charge of this program?" Kurt demanded.

Patterson pulled up a woman's picture on the computer, "This is Petra Slovic. She's a Russian citizen. She came to America as a Russian Bride, but she never denounced her citizenship and makes several trips to Russian every year. Any idea when?"

"After the program finishes," Reed realized.

"She goes all over promoting the series," Patterson confirmed.

"And taking the trophy with her," Zapata realized.

"It's the perfect cover," Stewart agreed.

"So the big question is the information _already_ in the trophy or does it still have to be placed?" Kurt wondered.

"The trophy hasn't left the case since the games began. They have a ceremony at the end when the trophy is giving to the winners." Patterson explained.

"So if the Invincibles need to win…so that they can place the stolen secrets. That's probably not good for us." Tasha realized.

"No," Patterson assured her, "The former winners are either re-crowned in ceremony or they are the ones that deliver the trophy. It's kind of like passing the baton. No matter what happens for the rest of the games, the Invincibles will be able to place the stolen information."

"So the only time we will know for sure that the information is in the trophy…is during the Awards Ceremony." Jane realized.

"That means that you have to continue to compete," Rich worried.

"We'll watch out for each other," Kurt agreed looking at his team in concern.

"Jane," Patterson looked at her in regret, "You need to head over to the lake. The swimming begins in twenty minutes."

"I better get changed." Jane agreed.

"We need a boat," Rich insisted.

"They don't allow contestants on the lake during the competition." Patterson denied.

"So the only people on hand are the other competitors or the potentially corrupt officials." Tasha realized.

"I'm good in the water," Jane assured her.

Kurt didn't say anything.

He followed after Jane when she went into the bathroom to change.

"You've got this," He told her.

"I've got it," Jane insisted.

She pulled on a one piece swimsuit before reaching for her wetsuit. Kurt looked at the tattoos that brought them together. Despite all of their cryptic meanings, they represented the woman he loved. He knew that she sometimes worried about them, but they were a part of her and he loved everything about her.

She reached for her swim cap and he noted the orange color with a smile.

"You haven't been training to swim for a while," He worried.

"I'm fine," Jane insisted.

He walked over and pulled her against him.

Looking up at him Jane smiled before reaching up and kissing him with a quick peck.

"What was that?" He demanded with a little smile.

"It's all you get…until later," Jane teased him.

"What if I want more?" Kurt asked her with a little smile.

"Then meet me at the finish line," Jane suggested.

Kurt's smile faded. "How are you going to avoid jostling in the water?" Kurt worried.

"I'm going to swim under the water at the beginning," Jane explained. "I won't come up for a little while, so don't panic. The only competitors that can beat me in the water are the SEALs and they have no reason to hurt me."

"Just be careful," Kurt insisted.

"Always," Jane agreed.

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Kurt joined the team and warned them about Jane's plan.

"She can hold her breath for a really long time," Patterson admitted.

"How long?" Tasha demanded.

"When she first arrived, she was over four minutes." Patterson remembered.

"That was years ago," Reed argued.

"She knows what she's doing," Kurt insisted.

"Of course she does," Rich agreed, but without his usual levity.

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Jane deliberately moved to the opposite side of the starting dock as the competitor from the Invincible team. She waited for the starting gun and once it was fired, she leaped for the water.

It was cold, but she'd been in colder. She swam beneath the surface for as far as she dared. Once she hit the surface she was relieved to see that most of the competitors were far behind her. As expected the Navy SEAL was slightly ahead of her.

She fell into her rhythm and it helped her that she had the SEAL so close. She was able to adjust her technique so that she wasn't gaining or losing ground. This was how she trained, Jane suddenly remembered. She'd been a part of a team. Faces flashed in through her mind of the men she'd been so close to. The men she couldn't remember.

She had fallen into an unconscious rhythm when it happened. The swimmer in front of her began to show distress.

Jane slowed her pace. She looked back and realized that they had gotten so much further than the pack of competitors that they safety boats were too far away. If she tried to help him, she knew she made herself vulnerable. She could only hope that his training was good enough to remain calm in light of just such an emergency.

She came up behind him and called out, letting him know she was there.

"What's wrong?" She demanded.

"I'm cramping," He called to her.

"Where's you wetsuit?" She demanded when she got close enough to see he wasn't wearing one.

"Someone took it," The SEAL explained, "I didn't have time to replace it."

Jane knew a set up when she saw it. She just hoped he wasn't in on it, or they were both going to be in trouble.

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"Wow," Reed smiled, "Look how far ahead she is from the pack."

Kurt watched her finally emerge from beneath the water with a relieved breath and rueful smile.

"There's someone in front of her," Roman noted.

"Who is it?" Tasha said impressed.

Looking at the color of his cap, Patterson checked the schedule.

"It's the Navy SEAL," Kurt told her without waiting for confirmation.

"Yes," She agreed looking up with a smile.

"They're nearing the finish line," Tasha said in elation.

"Why are they stopping?" Roman worried.

Kurt pulled the binoculars he'd brought up and looked through them.

"Something wrong," He realized.

"With who?" Roman demanded.

Seeing Jane approaching the struggling SEAL, Kurt realized, "It's not Jane."

"Where are the safety boats?" Reed demanded.

"They're back by the pack," Tasha pointed.

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"We're almost finished," Jane assured the SEAL. "We'll get there together."

She wrapped her arm around him and began to tow him with her. He kicked with her to assist, but she could tell he was suffering. If it hadn't been for his iron will and training, she knew they would have been in real trouble. As it was they were able to continue, the pack gaining on them, but far enough back that she knew they would still cross the finish first…as long as nothing else happened.

Suddenly it seemed that the officials had been notified of their difficulties. The safety boat headed into in their direction. They crossed the finish line just as the boat arrived. Jane supported the SEAL as the boat drew alongside them. The official leaned over to help him up and Jane released him in relief. She was tired…really tired. After the man disappeared into the boat, Jane lifted up her arm so that they could pull her aboard, but instead of the assistance she expected suddenly the boat seemed to come to life. The engine roared and the boat swung around. She knew she was suddenly in terrible danger. She didn't try to swim away, because she knew there was only one way to avoid the lethal propeller, she went down.

Looking up from depth she saw boat traveling in wild circles above her. It stopped abruptly. As she watched, a body suddenly hit the water. She was going to need air soon. Before she could decide if it was safe yet or not, the swimmer in the water seemed to see her. As they neared, she realized it was the SEAL she'd been assisting earlier. He grabbed her and pulled her in close and began to head to the surface.

They broke the surface together and he demanded, "Were you hit?"

Jane gasped in breath and denied, "No."

This time he pushed her aboard before he joined her. She was surprised to see one of the officials lying on the bottom of the boat, unconscious.

"What happened?" She demanded looking over at the SEAL in concern.

"I don't know," the SEAL admitted, "He said he lost control of the boat, but he wouldn't let anyone near him and wouldn't turn off the engine. The only way I could stop the boat was to stop him."

"Are you okay?" Jane demanded crawling over to his side. He still seemed to be in distress, but he nodded with a clenched jaw.

He'd jumped back into the water to help her she realized, when he clearly should not have. She knew he was in danger of hyperthermia and pushed down her wetsuit and pulled him into her warmth, her hand attempting to message out the painful cramping she could feel rippling in his arms.

The medical expert covered them with a blanket and head toward the shore.

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"They finished," Patterson said in relief.

"The safety boat's got them," Roman agreed.

Kurt lowered the field glasses and shared a rueful smile with Roman.

"I'm going to go and meet the boat," Kurt told the team.

"We need to head over to the driving range," Reed told him.

"I'll get Jane and we'll meet you over there." Kurt assured him.

Kurt was walking toward the dock when the boat began to go in tight circles. He looked on in puzzlement, suddenly the boat abruptly stopped. When someone jumped off he stopped and lifted up the field glasses once more. He was puzzled when he didn't see Jane.

Suddenly two people appeared and one of them was clearly Jane. He watched as she was hoisted aboard in a maneuver that would have been very difficult to do for the man in the water. She then leaned over the side and assisted that man into the boat with her. They both disappeared from view and the boat headed toward shore.

He was determined to meet them.

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Jane felt the SEAL begin to shiver in no time and she was secretly relieved.

"I'm Jane," She told him.

"Riley," He answered.

"You shouldn't have risked going back into the water with this cramping." Jane worried.

"Like I was going to leave the SEAL that saved me," He scoffed, "You know better than that."

"I'm FBI," Jane explained.

"No you aren't," The SEAL denied, "Once a SEAL…"

"Always a SEAL," Jane smiled.

"Thanks," He told her.

"Thank you," She smiled.

He had his head buried in her neck breathing in her warmth when they pulled up to the dock. She had both arms wrapped around him sharing her body heat.

Kurt looked into the boat and shook his head in confusion. Jane and a man he'd never met seemed to be extremely intimate.

"What happened?" He demanded climbing aboard in concern.

"Riley's hypothermic and cramping," Jane explained.

A member of the medical team joined them. Jane released Riley and he reluctantly drew back.

"When they release me…" He looked down at her with a little smile.

She smiled up at him ruefully, "Good try."

"Come on…" He encouraged not giving up.

"My _wife_ …has a date with me." Kurt warned him, unamused.

"Too bad," Riley smiled over at Jane in regret, letting his arms fall away.

Kurt helped Jane stand, before pulling her wet body against him possessively.

"Man I don't blame you," Riley said going with the paramedic.

"What happened?" Kurt demanded, looking down and seeing that she'd partially removed her wet suit.

"SEALS never leave each other behind." Jane explained.

Kurt had the strongest need to imprint himself on her. He understood she'd been sharing her body warmth with the SEAL, but seeing her holding another man in any type of intimate way was messing with him.

"Let's go," He insisted, pulling the blanket she still wore around her shoulders closed.

She looked at him, puzzled as he grabbed her hand and towed her away.

He didn't get far. She found herself pulled into the boathouse at the end of the dock. Expecting him to demand a recount she was surprised when instead he pushed her up against the wall and began to ravish her mouth. Her surprise was only momentary and she returned his adore with more than a little enthusiasm.

Before long her body temperature was more than a little hot.

"I might internally combust if you keep this up," She warned him with a little laugh.

"I'm feeling a little warm myself," Kurt admitted hoarsely.

"Just a little?" Jane taunted, feeling the evidence of his arousal.

"Okay I'm burning up," Kurt admitted, leaning down and claiming another kiss.

"Maybe Riley didn't need a hospital after all…" Jane mused, "Maybe he just needed a little mouth to mouth."

Kurt stiffened at that teasing.

"Are you saying you would consider doing this with anyone else?" Kurt demanded, burying his hand into her hair and holding her gaze steady with his own.

"What?" Jane didn't understand what he meant.

"You were holding him against you inside the blanket…" Kurt reminded her, "His face was buried in your neck…"

"No!" Jane denied finally understanding, "I just meant it was very effective…but I would never…" She trailed off in confusion.

"It's alright," Kurt insisted seeing her distress. "I guess I'm just a little possessive."

"You know I'm all yours," Jane denied seriously.

"And I'm all yours," Kurt assured her.

"Do you want to…?" Jane looked up at him with a little smile.

"I always want to…" Kurt said with a little laugh, "But Reed is driving in just a little while and we need to go meet the team."

"Let me get changed and we can head over there." Jane smiled to hide her disappointment, pushing her wetsuit the rest of the way down and off.

Kurt watched her bend over and remove it with possessive eyes.

"We might have a few minutes," He finally told her hoarsely lifting her back up and pressing her between him and the wall.

The others looked at them in puzzlement when they arrived just as the race was starting.

"Oh," Patterson worried, "You got a little sunburnt."

Jane reached up and felt the stubble burn on her face and neck and knew she was blushing.

Kurt laughed as he watched stammer her reply. He pulled her against him and smiled as she buried her face into his shoulder.

Patterson just looked at them with a puzzled smile before looking back at the track.

Tasha elbowed Jane in the side and she pinched her in return.

Tasha just shook her head at Patterson's naiveté.

Roman looked between his sister and Patterson with a smile. Nudging Patterson's shoulder his smiled grew when she reached over at claimed his hand absently.

It almost made Reed getting to drive instead of him worth the sacrifice.


	35. Chapter 35

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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"I don't understand, nothing works."

Vin looked over at his teammate, his eyes still swollen almost completely shut.

"We still have plenty of events to knock them out of the running," He assured him.

"Well…you were right about her helping the SEAL. Taking his wetsuit should have put them both out, instead they finished first and second place. We also lost Carlos. He was taken in for questioning when he tried to run Jane, Remi or whoever she is over with the boat."

"I knew she wouldn't leave him," Vin admitted, "She's Remi. I'm positive, I don't like that she's pretending to be someone else. It doesn't make any sense."

"Do you think they're on to us?" Franklin demanded.

"I don't know," Vin rubbed his face. "When we worked together she was with a SEAL team. They were providing us support for a hostage exchange. She was lethal and dedicated. The men she was teamed with loved her. You would think a woman SEAL would have caused a little bit of resistance, but there was none of that. She was capable and they knew and respected her for it. By the time we finished the mission our entire team was in love with her, but she didn't seem to notice or care."

"Well it seems to still be the same. That Keaton guy with the CIA risked his life to help her and the SEAL jumped back in the water even on the verge of hyperthermia and debilitating cramping." Franklin said in frustration.

"I'll check into her cover story, see if she's really with the FBI. They say she's married to the Assistant Director of the NY branch of the FBI, Kurt Weller." Franklin told them.

"I think she actually is," Vin admitted, "I've seen them together. When her parachute didn't open, he and the rest of the team were beside themselves. I think they must really care about her."

"That make this so much more difficult," Franklin admitted, "If it's true, then getting rid of her and her team is going to be harder than I thought."

"We'll find a way," Vin assured him.

"Well you better hurry, before we have no more able bodied team members left." Franklin warned as he turned toward the door.

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Reed pulled the safety harness tight and adjusted his helmet. He knew the team was worried. Tasha had literally followed him onto the track giving him driving pointers until they'd had to ask her leave. He couldn't help his smile as he remembered her leaning into window to whisper very questionable strategies to him, before Patterson had pulled her away. She continued shouting back suggestions until he could no longer hear her.

He watched the flag drop and hit the accelerator. It wasn't even two car lengths out that he felt the first hit against the car. If he hadn't already anticipated it, it might have been effective. As it was, the car that tried to take him out was left spinning out behind him. He looked back with a little grin. He was good behind the wheel, better than you'd expect for a man living in NYC, but he hadn't always lived there. He'd grown up on a farm, he'd been driving long before the legal age, he knew that life hadn't been for him and that's why he treasured his three piece suites so much. He'd found the life he was meant to live.

"He hit him," Tasha said in outrage, pushing against Patterson.

"Yeah," Patterson agreed, "We saw it."

"Look!" Tasha said in excitement, hitting Patterson's arm again, when the other car spun out.

Patterson rubbed her arm and looked at Tasha in exasperation.

"We're right here," Patterson reminded her, "We can see it."

Roman abruptly stood up and motioned for Patterson to scoot over.

She looked up at him with a puzzled expression, but did as he requested. When he sat between her and Tasha she looked up at him with a softly amused expression.

"He's taking the lead," Tasha announced in excitement, hitting Roman on the shoulder, seemingly not noticing that he and Patterson had switched.

Patterson looked up at his resigned expression and laughed at him before reclaiming his hand and squeezing it before looking back at the track.

Jane watched them with a bemused expression. She hadn't seen this coming but she would have to lie if she said she wasn't thrilled and concerned equally with this new development. On one hand, she knew just how much Patterson had already been through, Roman was definitely not an easy choice. On the other she knew just how far he would go to protect the people that he cared about. Literally there was nothing he wouldn't do. Nothing…

Looking over at Kurt she found him watching them as well. He definitely looked concerned. She squeezed his hand, but didn't try to reassure him. He cared too much to take this possible threat to Patterson lightly and nothing she said to reassure him would matter. Only time would tell how this was going to work.

The race continued and they watched cars run off the track and one actually flipped, but Reed continued to dominate.

It was on the last lap that Reed was finally hit in just the right place. He spun out, but once the car stopped moving, he simply hit the reverse and went over the line backwards. He came in third, but it was still enough that Weller's Warriors remained in the lead.

"He crossed the finish line backwards," Tasha said grabbing Jane's arm and shaking her back in forth in excitement.

Jane shared an amused look with Roman where he sat, one hand up to defend himself, the other still holding Patterson's hand.

"What's next?" Jane worried.

"Stewart and I get to defuse a fake bomb." Patterson leaned forward to tell her.

"Let's go get Reed and regroup," Kurt stood up, pulling Jane with him.

"We also need to eat," Jane suggested. She also wanted to check that Riley made a complete recovery, but after Kurt's reaction to them earlier, she decided to keep that to herself.

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"Great job Reed," Kurt smiled at him once they were reunited.

"If my right tire hadn't blown," Reed said with regret, "I would have won."

"You went through the finish in _reverse_ ," Tasha reminded him in excitement.

"It was really exciting," Rich agreed looking at Reed with speculation.

Reed looked over at Kurt in alarm.

Kurt just smiled and shook his head.

"We need to figure out how they are going to attempt to sabotage the next event," Jane worried while the team sat around eating.

"What could they do?" Stewart asked, "There is no contact between contestants in the next round."

"They couldn't be tied to the swimming or the skydiving either," Jane reminded them, "But we all know they were responsible."

"What happened with the swimming?" Rich demanded with a scowl.

It was only then that Jane realized they hadn't seen what happened.

"They took Riley's wetsuit," Jane explained, "In hopes that he would flounder, which he did."

"Who's Riley?" Roman asked with a puzzled frown.

Kurt's jaw went tight as Jane talked about the other man.

"He's the Navy SEAL that was in the lead," Jane explained.

"The one you helped?" Patterson confirmed.

"Yes," Jane confirmed, "When we got to the boat, they pulled Riley up, but before they could get me, the boat took off."

"What?" Kurt remembered the circles the boat had been doing. Only now realizing that if Jane had still been in the water she'd been in terrible danger.

"What happened?" Roman worried.

"I dove down to avoid the propeller," Jane explained, "Riley disabled the driver and jumped in after me."

"But…" Patterson protested, "He was floundering…"

"He shouldn't have done it," Jane agreed, "But he'd thought I'd been hit."

"He could barely make the finish line," Rich reminded them, "What did he think he was going to do?"

"SEALS don't leave each other behind," Jane explained.

"You're FBI," Stewart reminded her.

"I trained with the SEALS," Jane explained.

The longer she spoke about the SEAL, the tenser Kurt became. That she admired him was evident. He didn't want to feel this way, but he did.

"What happened to the guy that tried to hit you with the boat?" Tasha demanded.

"He was detained," Jane explained.

"If we can get him transferred," Tasha looked over at Kurt, "We might be able to get some Intel."

"Tasha you handle the transfer," Kurt agreed, threading his fingers through Janes.

"What are you going to do?" Tasha asked him.

"I'm going with Jane to check to see how the SEAL is doing," Kurt explained. "Once the man that tried to hit Jane with the boat's been transferred, we'll join you for interrogation."

"What about the next challenge?" Jane worried, looking over at Stewart and Patterson.

"I know what they're going to do," Patterson assured her.

"What?" Stewart worried.

"They're going to try to set off the bomb off remotely." Patterson predicted.

"Makes sense," Tasha agreed.

"You just need to make a jammer," Rich suggested.

"Exactly," Patterson agreed, "Come on Stewart, let's get on with it, we don't have that long."

"Reed will go with me and we'll keep you informed," Tasha told Kurt.

Watching them go, Jane looked over at Kurt, "I can just call over to the clinic, make sure he was released. It wasn't life threatening once he was out of the water and getting treatment."

"Then we'll call," Kurt agreed walking with purpose.

"Where are we going?" Jane asked him with a puzzled expression.

He looked over his shoulder at her and she recognized that look immediately.

"Oh," She said with a little smile, picking up the pace.

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Roman followed Patterson and Stewart with a frown.

He knew she had the situation in hand, but he was still tense knowing that she was about to compete in a challenged that would undoubtedly be rigged. Jane could have died…twice. Reed's driving skills was the only thing that saved him from being potentially seriously hurt. Tasha appeared petite and delicate and they'd sent in a monster to fight her. That hadn't taken her abilities into account, but she could have been injured. They weren't playing fair and he was getting more nervous the closer they got to the next event.

"Maybe I should step in," Roman offered.

"What?" Patterson looked at him with an incomprehensive frown.

"We don't know what they're going to do," Roman worried, "I don't think you should do it."

"I can handle myself," Patterson told him.

"I'm not saying to can't," Roman agreed, "But we don't know what they're going to do."

"Roman," Patterson stopped what she was doing and moved over to stand in front of him, "I'm not worried."

"But I am," Roman insisted.

Patterson looked up at him with a little smile, "I'm glad."

"What?" He thought he misunderstood.

"When you go…I'm worried," Patterson admitted. "You've got knife fighting tomorrow."

"I'm good with a knife," Roman immediately reassured her.

"And I'm good with bombs," Patterson assured him, "They aren't real. We'll be fine."

Roman nodded his head in reluctant agreement.

She reached up and hugged him tightly. He waited a tense moment before his arms closed around her just as fiercely.

Stewart turned away to hide his smile. He hoped Patterson was right. Not only because he didn't want any part of this, but because he was sure that if anything happened, Roman was going to be a vengeful driving force. That was something he didn't ever want to see…

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Jane cuddled against Kurt's side contently. She had expected after their interlude in the boathouse, their stolen moments would have been hasty and volatile, but that wasn't what happened at all.

He'd obviously wanted time to be close, but he'd treated it more reverently than she expected. There hadn't been haste, only slow hands and long kisses culminating in the satisfaction he always brought her.

"You okay?" he worried at her continued silence.

"I'm great," Jane said with a little smile, "You?"

Running his hand down her back he assured her, "I've never been better."

"You know we need to get up?" She said with a kiss to his chest.

"Again?" He asked her teasingly.

She hit him softly.

"Very funny."

"I know we do," He assured her.

When he still didn't move she leaned back and looked up into his face.

He was watching her with a look that took her breath.

"I love you," He said seriously.

"I love you too," She said just as seriously.

He leaned down to kiss her and she met him half way, before they reluctantly pulled apart to go meet the team.

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Patterson and Stewart looked down at the bomb and knew immediately this wasn't going to be easy.

Moving over to it, Patterson studied it for a moment. When she smelt Sulfur she frowned in concern. This was supposed to be a fake bomb, but the chemical reaction that was created to make that scent couldn't be faked.

Looking over she saw the entire team was standing too close.

She shared a look with Stewart. He understood well enough.

"You have the scrambler?" She worried and he held it up.

Roman saw her concerned look and knew something more was going on.

"She looks distressed," Jane worried.

"Look at her hand," Tasha said.

She was obviously taping it against her leg.

"Not the best time to keep the beat," Rich said with a little nervous laugh.

"It's Morris Code," Tasha realized.

"What's she saying?" Roman looked over at Tasha.

"She wants us to move," Tasha realized.

"Why?" Jane asked in concern.

"There must be something about the devise she thinks is unsafe." Reed insisted.

"What do we do?" Jane looked over at Kurt in concern.

"First," Kurt insisted, "We move so that she can concentrate."

"I'm not going anywhere," Roman denied.

"She's distracted," Reed insisted, "We need to let her concentrate."

"This is stupid," Roman argued, "We don't need to win this contest. If there's something wrong, we need to pull them out."

"He's right," Jane looked over to Kurt in concern.

"I'll pull them," Kurt agreed, "Let's head over to the judges stand."

The team moved away, determined to stop this. Before they could intervene, Patterson and Stewart worked frantically to stop the toxic release they feared was coming.

Patterson removed the cover that exposed the wires. As she suspected, there was a dispersal canister inside. She knew she couldn't cut the wires to prevent the release, so instead she attempted to reverse the flow of the electrical current so that if it triggered it would burn out the component that triggered it instead of releasing the gasses. She then looked to Stewart and they shared a brief desperate conversation. Once the both agreed, she took the cutters and shared a look with Stewart before she cut the wire. When nothing happened they shared a relieved smile before they stood up to indicate they were done.

Kurt looked over at them in relief.

"I think they've got it," He told the team pointing toward where they were walking toward them.

Roman moved to intercept them.

"What happened?" He worried, putting his hand on Patterson's shoulder.

"Someone tampered with our devise," Patterson explained, "They added a chemical dispersion canister. It smelled of Sulfur."

Roman got a look on his face that Jane recognized immediately. She moved over to them and inserted herself between Roman and the rest of the team.

"Roman," Jane drew his attention, as she placed a hand on his arm to steady him.

He looked down at her with no expression.

She could feel the tension in the arm beneath her hand and she looked over at Patterson in concern, attempting to warn her to keep her distance.

Patterson understood, she could see it in her face, but instead of moving away, she came closer and looked up at Roman without fear.

"Want to get a drink?" She asked with a little smile.

He blinked at her a couple of times before he gave her a single nod. Jane watched Patterson grab Roman's hand and lead him away with raised eyebrows.

"I'm going to warn the officials," Stewart told Jane.

Kurt went with him and Jane found herself standing with Reed and Tasha.

"No offense Jane," Tasha said watching after Roman and Patterson, "But I think maybe Patterson might have put a spell on your brother."

Jane looked at her with a rueful smile, "Once he cares about her…he won't ever let anything happen to her."

"He went against his own Mother for you," Reed reminded them, "I wonder who he chose if it came down to you or Patterson."

"Let's hope we never have to find out." Jane told them with a grimace.


	36. Chapter 36

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters…

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Jane was exhausted. She sat in the observation room and watched as Tasha and Kurt interrogated the official that had tried to hit her with the boat.

She was leaning her head against her hand when the door open and Reed came in with two cups of coffee.

He placed one down in front of her and she reached for it gratefully.

"Thanks," She told him taking a sip.

"You look wiped out." He worried, sitting down next to her.

"I guess I'm not used to swimming anymore," Jane admitted taking another sip.

"Maybe instead of drinking the coffee," Reed suggested, "You try getting some sleep."

"How are you feeling?" Jane worried, "You got knocked around pretty good on the track."

"I feel old," Reed admitted with a rueful smile.

Jane returned it, raising her hand and rubbing her neck.

Reed took the coffee back.

"Hey," Jane protested.

"Sleep," Reed insisted.

"I want to see if they get any information." Jane insisted.

"Tell you what," Reed offered scooting his chair closer, "You rest your head on my shoulder…and if you can stay awake long enough to watch the interrogation, great."

"And if I fall asleep?" Jane demanded.

"Then I was right and you owe me breakfast in the morning."

Jane leaned against him with a weary sigh. He knew she was fighting it, but within ten minutes she was out. He looked down at her sleeping face with a little smile and a shake of his head. Even Wonder Woman had to sleep.

He turned his attention back to Kurt and Tasha. They were very demanding, but the suspect was very scared. After another five minutes he found himself leaning his head wearily against Jane's. She didn't wake, but not long after that both of them had succumbed to their exhaustion.

Kurt and Tasha had their subject transported to a holding cell and left the interrogation more frustrated than ever. They didn't doubt that their subject knew something, but he was obviously more scared of whoever was behind this, than he was of the FBI.

Walking up the hallway Kurt looked down at Tasha and asked, "Where are Jane and Reed?"

"I don't know," Tasha admitted puzzled, "They said they were going to watch us question Carlos…"

Kurt turned around and headed back toward the observation room. Pushing open the door he came to a halt. Tasha peered around his shoulder and both of them shared a smile.

"I think that I am offended that our questions put them to sleep," Tasha whispered to Kurt.

When Jane didn't even stir when Tasha spoke, Kurt realized just how exhausted she must be. He felt immediate guilt for not taking her needs into consideration. The two were leaning heavily against each other like only two people completely comfortable in each other's personal space can do. It made him smile at the picture they made. Reaching into his pocket for his phone he took a snap of them before moving over to reclaim his wife.

"Wait," Tasha insisted, "I want one."

He waited while she snapped her own picture. "They look like innocent children," Tasha said with a smile.

"Let's put them to bed," Kurt moved over and leaned over Jane and reaching for her cheek.

"Jane," He whispered rubbing his thumb along her jaw.

She blinked her eyes opened slowly, focusing in on him. When she realized he was not the one she was leaning against, she stiffed and turned her head.

She relaxed when she realized it was Reed.

"Damn," She whispered.

"What?" Tasha smiled.

"He bet me that I would fall asleep…" Jane explained, "Now I owe him breakfast."

"What do you get because he fell asleep?" Tasha asked, using her hair to tickle Reed's nose and laughing when he swatted at it with his free and.

"Nothing," Jane admitted.

"Short sighted," Tasha said with a sad shake of her head.

Reed finally opened his eyes to look up at Tasha accusingly, "Can't a guy catch a break?" he asked her wearily.

"I think Weller want's his wife back," Tasha teased him.

Reed looked down at Jane in surprise before looking up at Weller with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry," He moved his arm, "I was trying to get her to rest, but she's pretty warm…guess she put me to sleep."

"You're both exhausted," Kurt agreed, "We need to head back to camp."

Reed stood and stretched, "I'm awake."

"No you're not," Tasha denied with a smile.

"Just don't leave me in the car when we get there," Reed pleaded.

"What…you want me to tuck you in?" Tasha teased him.

"Are you as warm as Jane?" Reed teased back.

"Oh," Tasha denied, "I'm pretty hot."

Reed cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"I think I got this," Reed finally said, while everyone laughed at his discomfort.

"Let's go," Kurt shook his head. Pulling Jane up, he wrapped his arm around her for support.

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The next day was the last day of the competition. The schedule was slated for shooting and knife competitions.

Jane and Roman were handling the knives and Kurt and Roman were shooting.

"So what's going into this knife competition?" Rich worried looked at Jane.

"There are two components," Patterson explained, "One is knife throwing."

"The other?" Rich worried.

"Fighting," Patterson admitted with a concerned look at Roman.

"So they're just supposed to go after each other with knives?" Rich asked incredulously.

"Not exactly," Patterson assured him, "Their going to have plastic knives."

"How can you judge that?" Rich scoffed.

"The competitors will be wearing skin suites that will electronically record hits. It's based on a point system." Patterson explained.

"Are we up against the Invincible team?" Rich worried.

"Roman is," Patterson admitted with a worried frown, "But Jane is going against a SEAL."

"Oh," Rich scoffed, "Is that all?"

"Its fine Rich," Jane assured him.

"Wait," Rich suddenly realized, "They don't have any women SEALS."

"No," Patterson agreed, "They don't."

"So she's competing against a man?" Rich was not amused.

"At lease it will be a fair fight," Jane insisted.

"If you can consider a two hundred plus man attacking you with a knife fair," Rich obviously didn't.

"What's the competitor's name?" Kurt asked Patterson.

Patterson looked down at the schedule and frowned. "Looks like the SEALS name is Riley Hartman, why?"

"Is that the same Riley that was on the swimming relay?" Jane asked.

Patterson did some more checking, "Yeah," She agreed.

"This is good," Jane turned to Kurt with a relieved smile, "You know he's not going to purposely try to hurt me."

"It's great," Kurt reluctantly admitted. He was relieved. He just wanted these pointless games to end.

"Who's Roman up against?" Jane worried.

"Vin," Patterson admitted without having to check.

"Great," Jane looked over at Roman with a frown.

"Please," Roman reassured Jane while watching Patterson, "Vin's got nothing on Sheppard."

"That's true," Jane agreed.

"At lease we didn't have to go against each other," Roman turned toward her with a little smile.

"I would have won," Jane scoffed.

"In your dreams," Roman denied.

"No," Jane reminded him, "I think we've proven this before."

"I let you win," Roman insisted.

Jane didn't say anything, but she'd secretly believed that for a while.

"What about the shooting?" Rich asked.

"There are actually three components to the shooting. We have target long and short and clearing a simulated town." Patterson explained.

"Are Roman and Kurt going to be doing all of them?" Reed worried.

"Yes," Patterson admitted, "We could have switched out competitors, but Kurt insisted. Since this is the last round, it's the most dangerous."

At that, Jane's eyes flew to Kurt's. He was clearly annoyed at Patterson's candor.

"I just thought since we were already warmed up with the weapons, it would be a good idea to just go through each of the stations." Kurt denied unconvincingly.

"Sure," Tasha scoffed.

Suddenly Kurt saw Keaton walking over toward them.

"Last day…you think you're going to live?" He asked Kurt with a worried expression.

"We're going to try," Kurt looked at his team in concern.

"You clearly have a very large target painted on your backs," Keaton said thinking back over the course of the competition.

"It'll be worth it," Kurt assured him.

"What can I do?" Keaton worried.

"Keep an eye on our backs," Kurt admitted, "Whatever's going to happen, it's going to happen today."

"I've got you," Keaton assured Kurt, before looking down at Jane with a reassuring expression.

"Thanks," Kurt watched him walk away.

"We need to get our suits on," Jane told Roman.

"Have you seen these suits?" Roman asked her moving over to her side.

"No," She denied…"Why?"

"You're just going to love them," He predicted.

Jane looked over at Kurt in concern, before following after Roman silently.

"What do the suits look like?" She could hear Kurt asking Patterson as they walked away.

"Are you kidding me?" Jane looked down at the skin tight silver suit with dismay.

"At least you won't look like a big condom," Roman argued.

"I've already been naked in Time Square," Jane reminded him, "I don't need to feel naked on television."

"They have shorts to go over it," Roman assured her.

"My concerns are a little north of there," Jane said in exasperation.

He laughed at her without sympathy.

They changed and moved back out toward the competition field.

"I feel ridiculous," Roman admitted.

"Well you look ridiculous," Jane agreed.

"Gee…thanks," Roman looked down at her.

"What, no comeback?" Jane waited.

Looking down at her he laughed, "Actually, you look pretty cute in that."

"Are you kidding me?" Jane asked suspiciously.

"You look like you should be in the movie Tron," Roman smiled.

"What?" Jane asked blankly.

"Don't worry about it," Roman didn't have time to explain it.

They started with the knife throw. Jane walked over and picked up the knives she'd been given. They felt off. She threw one in the air and as she suspected, it was weighted disproportionately. If she'd been someone that trained with throwing knives, it would have been devastating, but she wasn't. She simply kept flipping it in the air until she reached the target area. By then, she was able to adjust her technique to compensate for the inconsistency. When it was her turn, she put all five knives in the bullseye.

Roman smirked at her and proceeded to do the same. For the first time ever they ended up with a tie in that event.

The next event was the knife sparring. Jane waited on the sideline until it was her time to go. Suddenly, there seemed to be some type of flurry over by the Judge's tables. Jane shared a silent look with Roman.

Rich was called over and there was a heated conversation.

"This can't be good," Roman told Jane.

"Here he comes," Jane watched as Rich headed in their direction.

"They've changed the format," Rich warned them with a scowl.

"How?" Jane didn't really have time for Rich's dramatics now.

"They said the only fair way to compete was to make this an elimination competition." Rich explained.

"So instead of sparring one person," Jane realized.

"You have to spar them all," Rich explained.

"No half of all of them," Jane insisted.

"I might be sparing you after all," Jane looked over at Roman in challenge.

"Sparring," Rich corrected.

"No," Jane denied, "I said it right."

"If anyone going to be spared it's you," Roman insisted.

"Oh, please, spare me." Rich said earnestly, "You realized that this makes it much more dangerous?"

"Don't worry Rich," Jane assured him, "We'll win this."

"I don't care about winning," Rich argued, "I just want you both to walk out of here."

"Aww," Roman looked over at Jane, "He cares."

"Don't encourage him," Jane warned.

"Of course I care," Rich argued, "It's like the Wonder Twins facing the Injustice League…without the Superfriends."

"What?" It was Roman's turn to ask blankly.

"Never mind," Rich waved away their confusion, "Just be careful. I need to go tell the others."

"You've got this…right?" Jane looked up at Roman.

"Yeah," He assured her, "You?"

"Bring it on." Jane agreed.

They shared a smile that made the other competitors more than a little nervous.

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"I've just found out some exciting and interesting news about team FBI," The first announcer said with excitement.

"They're really androids?" The second announcer asked deadpan.

"No," The first announcer looked over at him in exasperation, "The two competitors for team FBI are siblings."

"Well after watching the knife throwing results, I wouldn't have wanted to be at their house for Thanksgiving Diner."

"You're telling me," The first announcer agreed, "Their Mother must have had her hands full with those two."

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"They have to beat all the competitors?" Patterson demanded once Rich finished his explanation.

"This can't be good," Tasha worried.

"We were already sparring the Invincibles," Reed insisted, "Why change the format now?"

"Because they wanted access to Jane," Kurt realized.

"Roman was the important one," Stewart denied, "He's competing in the next competition, Jane's done after this."

"Exactly, this is their last chance to take out Jane," Kurt insisted.

"Why would they even bother?" Reed worried.

"Vin knew Jane as Remi," Kurt reminded them, "There's a history we don't know. It's personal."

"So you think…what?" Rich demanded, "That there was some type of romantic relationship?"

"No," Kurt denied immediately, "He recognized her as Remi, but he wasn't positive. If they had some type of intimate relationship, he'd know for sure."

"Maybe he's a wannabe," Tasha suggested.

"A what?" Rich asked in confusion.

"A Wannabe," Tasha explained, "Is someone who is interested, but shut down."

"So he wanted her," Patterson suggested, "And she wasn't interested."

"That could do it," Reed agreed.

"Whatever the reason," Kurt dismissed, "What do we do about it now?"

"Well," Rich told them, "We can either pull out or continue on…"

"We continue," Tasha insisted.

"They could get hurt," Patterson worried.

"Are you kidding me?" Tasha scoffed, "They are about to kick some serious butt and I for one want a front seat."

"Me too," Stewart said with a little grin.

"Let's go," Kurt said still unsure continuing was their best recourse.


	37. Chapter 37

I don't own Blindspot or any of these wonderful characters….

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Okay…my bad. I have been officially spelling Reade's name wrong for the entire time I've been writing these fics…It's not Reed, its Reade. I must have been driving some of you crazy. I have also found that wiped sometimes is whipped and possibly (probably) there are many, many more little errors. Misspelling Reade is HUGE, thanks for telling me! I never even suspected that…but then my name is Lynda with a Y. So really…what do you expect? I am also the worst speller in the entire world! If it wasn't for Microsoft Word…I would probably be considered illiterate. (Might be a slight exaggeration…I hope…better not test it…) My favorite is when even Word can't find the correct spelling for my error because it's so wrong!

Anyhoo (there's that word again…LOVE IT) try to overlook my inconsistencies. Not only am I prone to making mistakes, but when I edit… I read what should be there instead of what actually is…double bonus. Aren't you lucky? PLEASE don't try to fix me…my fragile ego can't take the undoubtedly numerous mistakes you might (will) find. Let me be quietly broken…I can't even imagine the time and energy it would take to fix it all….! Certainly more than I've put in so far…

Thanks,

Linda…no wait…Lynda… Ha!

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"I can't believe they changed the challenge this late in the game," The second announcer noted.

"Exactly," The first announcer agreed, "They woke up this morning expecting a sprint, only to find out their competing in a Marathon instead. That has got to mess with your head."

"This could mean that Team FBI might have to fight each other," The second announcer realized.

"This I've got to see." The first announcer agreed.

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Jane stood on the floor and waited for the official's indication she should step on the mat. She knew what the mats meant. Most fights ended up on the ground and any of the male competitors she was facing would think that would give them the advantage over her. The mats were actually a nice luxury she wasn't used to…

Finally it was time. Stepping up Jane walked over and stood apart from Riley listening to official give them the rules. No falls, they had three minutes to score as many points as they could against their competitor. It was going to be short, but vicious.

Riley shot her a little smile.

She raised her chin in acknowledgement.

"Go," The official screamed.

Just as she suspected he went in low, she stepped to the side and gave him a glancing strike across his torso before he could connect.

He turned back toward her with new respect.

It was her turn to move in and she did, but instead of attempting to strike she concentrated on disarming him. It was so unexpected that she was standing there with both knives before he realized her intent.

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"She disarmed him!" Exclaimed the first announcer with unconcealed glee.

"Is that even legal?" The second one asked.

"The official isn't stopping the round," The first one noted, so it must be.

"She's using both!" The second mused.

"No way, even if he can get his knife back, is he going to be able to come back from that onslaught." The first agreed.

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Kurt watched on from the sideline and felt some of his tension ease. Jane was more than handling herself.

"I didn't know she could move like that," Rich said in awe, "What else can she do?"

"Everything," Tasha said with a little smile.

"The only thing she can't do," Patterson said, "Is stand by and do nothing when someone she knows needs her."

"And cook," Reade reminded them.

"And cook," They all agreed thinking back to some of her less than successful attempts.

"Who cares about food?" Rich scoffed, "That's what take-out is for."

"No," Kurt denied, "That's what she has me for."

Rich knew better than to argue with that.

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The match ended and Jane was the clear victor.

Leaving the floor Riley walked over to her with a smile, "You didn't learn that as a SEAL."

"I started young," Jane agreed, "Training with my brother."

"Don't suppose you'd be willing to train me and some of my team?" He asked her seriously.

"I've never really thought about it," Jane admitted.

"Well," He told her, "Give it some thought and let me know." He walked over to his bag and pulled out a pens and paper. Writing down his phone number he handed it over to her.

"I'll think about it," Jane assured him holding up the paper.

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"Did he just give her his number?" Stewart asked the others.

"Did she just _take_ his number?" Rich demanded in outrage.

"Come on," Reade defended her, "We all know Jane doesn't have eyes for anyone but Kurt, there must be some explanation."

"Maybe she's getting his number for me," Tasha said hopefully, "He's kinda cute."

"You aren't helping," Reade warned her looking over at Kurt.

"Oh, please," Tasha scoffed, "He could be mythical Thor and Jane still wouldn't see him. Kurt is absolutely it for her and we all know it."

Kurt listened to their exchange and took comfort in their certainty, but he still felt inexplicably threatened. They had so much history, struggle to get where they were. He often wondered if someone else would be easier for her. With Allie, Nas and the CIA black site, he wasn't exactly her knight in shining armor.

Patterson reached over and grabbed his hand.

"She loves you," She said simply.

Kurt squeezed her hand and look down at her with a little smile.

"I know," He assured her.

"She's coming this way," Rich said.

Kurt stood up and moved over to the rail to meet her.

"Nice job," He said bending down so that he was closer to her since the floor was lower than the bleachers.

"Thanks," Jane smiled, "Somehow I don't think they're all going to be that way."

"You want to pull out?" Kurt worried.

"What?" Jane looked up in surprise.

"I can pull you from the competition." Kurt insisted.

"We can't do that," Jane protested with a confused shake of her head.

"We'll find another way," Kurt assured her.

"You would do that?" Jane was bemused.

"Jane," Kurt looked over at her seriously, "I won't risk you if there is any other way. You're a little bit necessary to me."

She looked up at him with a shy smile, "You're not so bad yourself."

"What's the paper?" Kurt asked her reaching out and putting her hair behind her ear. He smiled at her sweet blush.

"Oh," Jane forgot she was holding it, "Riley asked if I would be willing to train him and some of his team."

Kurt reached for the phone number she passed up to him with a relieved breath.

"What?" She asked at his embarassed smile.

"I thought he was giving you his number," Kurt admitted.

"He was…" Jane didn't understand.

"For you to _call_ him," Kurt explained.

"There is really only one use for phone numbers," Jane agreed blankly.

"Him _personally_ ," Kurt said bluntly.

"What… _ohhh_ ," Jane looked up at Kurt in disbelief, "But…I have you…don't I?"

At her slightly panicked question Kurt hastily reassured, "Always."

She let out a relieved breath.

"There's always, only you Kurt," Jane assured him, looking over her shoulder to see that Roman was getting ready to go.

"I have to get back," She told him looking back up at him with remorse.

"Go," Kurt agreed, reaching for the hand she'd placed on the rail, "I'll be right over here waiting on you…"

"I'm going to hold you to that," Jane warned him.

He watched her go before shoving Riley's number in his pocket. Shaking his head at just how relieved he felt at her reassurance he turned to rejoin the others.

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Roman wasn't nervous for the obvious reasons, he was nervous for another reason altogether. He knew he could beat these guys, but anytime he picked up a weapon or fought, he worried he would lose control. He knew the kind of man he'd been, wasn't the kind of man he was now and he didn't want anything to take this new better life away from him.

"You're going to be okay…" Jane said from just behind him.

"What if I lose control?" Roman didn't need to pretend with Jane, she wasn't just his sister… she was the mirror image of his soul. Everything he could never be she was. His rock and supporter, she didn't judge him, he didn't have to hide. Of everyone in the World…Jane understood and loved him anyway.

"You won't," Jane insisted with absolute certainty.

"How do you know?" Roman asked her curiously.

"Because I know you," she reminded him, "You never did bad things for the sake of doing them and you didn't do them to protect yourself, you did them to protect the people you cared about. Nobody is in danger but you…so you won't lose control."

Roman turned to face her fully. She smiled up at him confidently.

"Thanks," He smiled back.

"Go kick their ass," Jane encouraged him.

He moved to the side of the mat to wait his turn.

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"Weller's Warriors are about to take the mat," The first announcer noted.

"I would not want to be his competitor," The second announcer said with a slightly uncomfortable laugh.

"He and his sister are an unlikely pair," The first announcer noted as he watched them standing together on the mat, "She dark, he's light…I wonder if one of them takes after their mom and the other their dad?"

"Their expressions are the same," The second announcer noted, "I think they give new meaning to the phrase _take no prisoners_ …"

"There's a good chance this is going to come down to the two of them."

"He'd have the clear advantage."

"I wouldn't count her out just yet…"

"Oh, no…underestimate these two at your own peril."

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Roman stepped onto the mat and listened to the referee explain the rules. He smiled at that. There were no rules when fighting. Sparring in a ring was just a way to teach you to limit yourself. In the real world it was fight or die.

"Go…" The ref called.

He was deadly with a knife, but this was just a game so he held back and simply played. Three minutes weren't that long…

His competitor was ready to sob in relief when time was called.

Un-winded, Roman turned away, unaware that his performance has just turned everything much more dangerous.

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Vin looked over at his Jackson, "He's good enough to beat me."

"So is she," Jackson said with a smirk.

"Any suggestions?" Vin demanded.

"I've already got this covered," Jackson assured him.

"How?"

"I've switched out your plastic knife for one slightly more…deadly." Jackson explained.

"If you get me disqualified," Vin protested.

"Calm down," Jackson interrupted, "You won't be disqualified. It's still a plastic weapon, but it can have lasting damage. You need to go in hard…do as much damage as you can before they realize you have the wrong weapon. Then act surprised."

"He won't know what hit him," Vin agreed with a smile.

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Jane competed and won two more rounds before it was time for Roman to take the mat with Vin.

"You need to be careful," Jane worried watching them get ready.

"I will," Roman assured her looking over at the stands where Patterson sat wringing her hands.

"Don't do that," Jane warned him.

"What?" He asked looking back down at her.

"Don't make this about her being worried." He insisted.

"I won't," Roman reassured her.

"I like the two of you together," Jane said with a smile.

"I don't know that you could call us…together," Roman rubbed his neck uncomfortably.

"She's been through a lot," Jane worried, "The way she's treating you…you're together. If you're not, you need to tell her. I don't want her to get hurt."

"What would she possibly want with someone like me?" Roman said seriously.

"You know it's not a conscious decision who you care about." Jane reminded him, "But don't be mistaken, she does care. Do you?"

"Of course I care," Roman admitted, "She's amazing, who wouldn't care about her?"

"That's just how I feel about you," Jane said, "Don't sell yourself short, and don't decide for her."

"Weller…he won't like me with her…" Roman trailed off and looked down at Jane.

"This isn't about him or me," Jane interrupted, "It's about you and her."

"Are you okay with this?" Roman ignored her assertion.

"Are you okay with Weller and I?" Jane countered.

"I just want you to be happy," Roman admitted.

"That's exactly what I want for you." Jane agreed.

"Thanks," Roman looked down at her with a soft expression.

"Don't be getting all mushy on me when you're about to get in the ring," Jane warned him.

"I've got his," Roman assured her.

Both of them knew he wasn't talking about the match.

"I know you do," Jane agreed.

Roman felt a weight lift off him at her acceptance. She had always been the most important part of his life…he didn't know what he would have done without her.

"You're up," Jane drew back his attention.

Turning toward the ring, Roman brought his focus back to Vin. This was the semifinal round and whoever walked out of this ring the victor would be facing Jane. No way would he let that person be Vin. He was the only thing standing between them and he wouldn't forget that. He refused to lose…

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"These are the moments that make these games so exciting," The first announcer noted.

"The old guard vs the new," The second announcer agreed.

"The Invincibles are going to have to change their names after this tournament."

"Don't let them hear you say that."

"I'm not saying anything that people aren't thinking already."

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Okay…I could either post now, without extensive editing…or I could post tomorrow. I didn't really edit…good luck!


	38. Chapter 38

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters….

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Roman stepped up onto the mat and moved to stand in front of Vin.

The ref gave his obligatory speech and he waited quietly.

"GO!" The ref shouted.

Expecting some type of finesse Roman was surprised when Vin simply threw himself at him. Understanding came when Vin's blade connected for the first time. The fire immediately began across his stomach and right hip. Roman hunched to protect his torso. Backing away from what he now realized was a knife that was far more lethal than the plastic he should have been using.

Vin followed him and Roman was able to deflect two blows, but the third penetrated his shoulder. Dropping his plastic knife, Roman realized that loosing this match look on a whole new lethal meaning.

Suddenly, Jane was there. She charged across the mat and tackled Vin to the ground. All Roman could see was the slight body of his sister jumping between him and Vin's stabbing knife.

Vin went down with Jane falling on top of him…the knife disappeared from view and Roman held himself still as he waited to see if Jane had just been impaled.

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"I would be very nervous," The first announcer said honestly.

"Well, team Invincible certainly fits that description," The second announcer agreed.

"Team captain Vincent Scent had led his team to more victories on this show than any other competitor," The first reminded, "I wouldn't count him out just yet…"

The ref said _Go_ just as the second announcer harrumphed his opinion.

"Well that technique reeks of desperation," The second announcer said when Vin charged over at Roman and began swinging the knife wildly.

"Things are not looking good…" The fist admitted.

"That's the first time in this competition that Weller's Warriors have even seemed remotely effected," The second said in surprise as Roman hunched over, "Maybe their human after all."

"Is that blood?" The first announcer asked in a shocked voice.

"Wait…what's this?" The second said in excitement when Jane tackled Vin.

"This is going to get them disqualified for sure," The first said noted.

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Kurt realized what was happening at the same time Jane did, only he had further to travel.

Leaping over the rail he headed to the mats barreling over anyone that got in his way.

Jane reached Vin before he could and his heart leaped as he watched her tackle Vin to the ground.

The utter stillness after such a flurry of activity made him catch his breath.

Roman fell to his knees beside Jane and reached for her with a shaking hand.

Kurt had his eyes glued to her back when she sat up, threw the knife away and delivered the blow that knocked Vin unconscious.

"Are you okay?" Roman and Jane demanded to each other at the same time.

Before either could respond Kurt pulled Jane up and into his arms, shaking his head at the dangerous tackle she'd just made.

"Kurt," Jane protested even as she hugged him back in reassurance, "Roman…"

"I know," Kurt assured her releasing her and watching as she fell back down beside Roman to assess the damage.

Patterson arrived before she could even complete her inspection.

"Oh my God…Oh my God…are you okay?" She demanded to Roman even as her shaking hands reached to cover the still bleeding wounds.

"I'm going to be fine," Roman assured her, wincing as she applied an overabundance of pressure.

"You've been _stabbed_ ," Patterson told him accusingly.

Roman briefly considered apologizing before he caught Jane's subtle head shake.

"They're shallow," Roman assured her, now more concerned about her reaction than his wounds.

"Then why are they bleeding so much?" Patterson demanded, her hands now covered in blood.

He had no answer for that and fortunately the medical team on standby arrived and spared him a response.

"We need to get in here," The paramedic told Patterson attempting to move her to the side.

Roman looked at him with a fierce expression and he stammered an apology and began working around her.

Jane moved back and Kurt pulled her against his chest and looped his arms around her as they watched Roman getting assessed.

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"How could this have happened?" The first announcer demanded watching the drama on the floor unfold.

"These knives are supposed to be tested before each round to ensure the safety of each of our competitors…" The second agreed.

"Looks like the paramedics are going to have their hands full with this one." The first noted.

"Is anyone going to check on Vincent Scent?" The second announcer asked as more people stepped over his still prone body.

"It doesn't seem to be their priority…"

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Rich made it his business to ensure that the weapon used to injure Roman was secured and didn't simply disappear into the ever growing crowd on the mat.

"Don't touch that," He warned the official that came over to claim the weapon.

"We need to inspect it and try to verify what happened," The official explained while he continued to reach for it.

"I'm not warning you again," Rich said in his coldest voice.

The official froze and looked up at him in alarm.

"I'm just doing my job," The man explained, standing up straight.

"No," Rich insisted, "You job is to ensure the safety of each of your competitors and I would say you are failing miserably."

"If you feel you have a grievance," The official said coldly, "You can file a complaint."

"What I have," Rich reminded him, "Is a string of grievances that almost got several members of my team killed."

"What do you suggest?" The official finally relented when he realized the truth of his statement.

"You're surrounded by government officials," Rich reminded him, "Turn over the investigation over to a third party…"

"Who? You?" The official scoffed.

"I'll do it," Keaton stepped over and joined Rich and the official.

"This is highly irregular," The official protested.

"So is this many near fatal accidents in a supposedly controlled environment." Keaton argued.

"Fine," The official relented, "But I need to be appraised of any and all findings."

"Of course," Keaton agreed easily.

He and Rich shared at relieved look as the official moved away.

"It's all yours," Rich said turning back toward where Roman was being aided.

"It will be my pleasure…" Keaton told his retreating back.

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Patterson was clutching both hands together as Roman prepared to step inside the ring. She hated this.

Tasha nudged her shoulder before linking her arm with hers.

"He's going to kick his butt," Tasha assured her.

"They've been cheating this entire time," Patterson worried.

"Roman is used to an environment where there are no rules," Tasha reminded her, "He'll be fine."

 _Go!_

Patterson's heart jumped as she watched Vin going after Roman wildly. When Roman hunched over…Patterson grabbed her own stomach and watched on with growing horror.

Jane moved to intervene and Patterson found herself on her feet without conscious thought. Even as Weller was leaping over the railing…Patterson was just steps behind him.

Racing into the ring she dropped down and saw all the blood that now covered Roman.

"Oh my God…Oh my God…are you okay?" She demanded to Roman even as her shaking hands reached to cover the still bleeding wounds.

"I'm going to be fine," Roman assured her, wincing.

"You've been _stabbed_ ," Patterson told him accusingly.

"They're shallow."

"Then why are they bleeding so much?" Patterson demanded, her hands now covered in blood.

"We need to get in here," The paramedic told Patterson attempting to move her to the side.

That so wasn't happening…

"He's losing too much blood," Patterson warned the paramedic.

"It's only a moderate amount," He attempted to reassure her.

"I know exactly how much blood a human body can hold," Patterson told him coldly, "And he's losing too much."

Jane looked up at Kurt with raised eyebrows at Patterson's fierce rebuttal.

"Patterson," It was Tasha that came to the paramedic's aid, "You need to move aside and let him do his job. Roman is going to be okay."

Patterson reluctantly allowed Tasha to pull her away, but the two of them stood over the proceedings watching carefully.

Roman looked over at Jane with a stunned expression and she relaxed as she realized that he was going to be fine. She wanted to smile at his reaction to Patterson's fussing. He deserved to finally have someone who could openly treat him like he deserved to be treated.

"You weren't cut, were you?" Kurt worried beginning his own inspection.

"Not a scratch," Jane assured him, still looking over at Roman and Patterson.

"You're sentimental," Kurt accused her, looking down at her with a small smile and tender expression.

"Maybe," Jane reluctantly admitted, "But look at them. They deserve this…"

Kurt didn't look at them… he was too busy looking at her. The softness in her expression made his tension ease. This was the Jane that had come out of the bag in Time Square. Vulnerable and open… After she'd come out of the CIA Black Site she'd been frighteningly closed off. Her emotions tightly contained and it had scared him. He'd feared it meant that she was turning into someone he didn't know and couldn't trust, but he now realized just how much of it was to protect her fragile heart.

He finally pulled his eyes away from her to look over at Roman and Patterson. He still worried, but for the first time since he found out, he realized that as an unlikely a pairing as this was…it could work. More importantly for the first time, he wanted it to work…

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Thirty minutes later Roman had been bandaged up and Rich was involved with heated debate with the officials.

"Well," Tasha said to nobody in particular, "That doesn't look good."

"What could they possibly be saying to make Rich look like he's going to have a stroke?" Reed asked.

"I, for one, don't even want to know," Stewart said truthfully. He was so done with these games.

"Here he comes," Tasha said in relief.

"What's going on?" Kurt demanded as soon as Rich was in earshot.

"Vin Scent is claiming he was only using the knife he was given…"

"So he's lying," Jane said dryly, "Surely you didn't think he was going to just admit it?"

"That's not the problem," Rich denied.

"Then what is?" Kurt demanded becoming impatient.

"Since both Roman and Vin were injured," Rich explained, "They either need to continue with the match…or they forfeit and the other moves onto the finals round."

"So," Roman clarified, "If I don't fight…Jane will have to fight Vin."

"Don't worry about it," Jane assured Roman, "He won't know what hit him."

Roman and Kurt shared a worried glance.

"Can we replace him in the match?" Kurt demanded.

"No," Rich denied, "Since Vin is willing to go even with his concussion, Roman has to be willing to as well or he loses."

"This is bullshit," Reade argued.

"I can do it," Roman assured Kurt.

"Wait…what?" Patterson looked up from beside Roman with a stunned expression. "You can't go…you're hurt!"

Roman looked down at her panicked expression on gently drew he to the side.

"I have to go our Jane is going to face Vin in the finals round…"

"You've been stabbed multiple places…can you even lift your right arm?" She demanded.

"Not all the way," Roman admitted reluctantly.

"How are you going to hold a knife?" Patterson demanded.

"I'm ambidextrous." Roman explained.

"Well…of course you are." Patterson said sarcastically.

He smartly remained silent.

"What if I asked you not to fight?" Patterson demanded.

Roman held himself very still…

"Are you asking me that?" He finally asked her.

It was her turn to hesitate…"No," She finally admitted.

His relief was evident.

"But if I had…" She looked up at him in question.

"I don't know," Roman admitted.

"Go be the hero," Patterson smiled up at him. That he would even consider not fighting was enough.

"You'll be okay?" He worried.

She shook her head at that question. He was the injured one…but he was worried about her.

"No," She admitted, "But if you can do this…I can do this."

"He won't touch me," Roman insisted.

"He better not." Patterson agreed.

Ten minutes later, when Roman stepped on the mat Jane, Patterson and Weller all stood silently by. His family at his back…Roman faced his opponent with confidence.

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"I can't believe he's stepping back into the ring," The first announcer admitted.

"By all accounts he can't even fully lift his right arm," The second announcer agreed.

"How's he expecting to be able to compete?" The first agreed.

"He's holding the knife in his left hand," The second noted.

"He's a trouper," The first agreed, "But he should have simply bowed out…"

"Looks like Weller's Warriors just don't know when to quit…"

"Go…" The ref yelled.

Roman went.

"Holy cow!" The first announcer exclaimed watching the action, "He reportedly just received seven stitches in his shoulder."

"You can't tell that from here," The second one agreed.

"He doesn't seem to be struggling with his left hand," The first noted.

"He's not left handed is he?" The second asked.

"No," The first denied, "He's right handed."

"I would have argued that being stabbed was worse than getting a concussion, but that clearly is not the case here."

"I don't think it has anything at all to do with the nature of the injuries, but more to do with the type of person injured."

"Break!" The ref called.

Watching the tall man with the blank expression being enveloped by the small blond woman wearing all of her emotions on her face, the announcers said nothing…


	39. Chapter 39

I don't own Blindspot or any of these amazing characters….

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Jane sat next to Roman silently.

"I think that you should withdraw," Jane said quietly.

"If I do that," Roman argued Vin could be back.

"Or they might replace you with another member of our team," Jane insisted.

"What have you got against them?" Roman laughed softly.

"Very funny," Jane nudged his uninjured shoulder.

"You know I've fought with much worse than this," Roman looked over at her in confusion, "What gives?"

"We aren't with Sheppard anymore," Jane insisted, "You don't have to fight when you're hurt."

"Are you worried about me?" Roman asked with a surprised smile.

"What if I am?" Jane said defensively.

"Nothing," Roman looked away uncomfortably.

"You know I love you…right?" Jane asked him quietly.

He's eyes shot to her face and she turned to meet his eyes directly.

"I love you too," Roman admitted.

Jane smiled at him and he returned it.

"You bowing out?" Jane encouraged.

"Hell no," Roman denied.

"Patterson is going to kick my ass," Jane complained.

"Afraid?" Roman teased her.

"Of Patterson…yes," Jane agreed, "She could probably pull out her phone and delete me from way over there."

Roman laughed at that.

"So we go easy on each other?" Jane suggested.

"Afraid you're going to lose?" Roman taunted.

"Sure gimpy," Jane agreed, "I'm terrified."

"Oh," Roman shook his head, "It's so on."

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"Looks like Weller's Warrior's take first place again," The first announcer noted.

"First and second," The second agreed.

"I know which team is going to win," The first admitted, "But I'm still excited to see the match."

"Siblings knife fighting," The second agreed, "Has a whole Cain and Able theme going here."

"I think it's going to biblical that's for sure." The first said gleefully.

"He's injured," The second reminded, "They'll probably go easy on each other."

"You don't have any siblings?" The first asked calmly.

"No," The second admitted, "Why?"

"You'll see," The first said thinking of his family dynamics.

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Jane and Roman were called to the mat and they stood up together.

Before they could claim their weapons for the match, Weller was there. He demanded to see them. Jane watched as he inspected and tested each of the weapons before he passed them over to them.

"Is it too much to ask that you take it easy on each other?" Kurt looked between the two of them expectantly.

"Probably," Jane admitted with a little smile at Roman.

"I'm hurt," Roman assured Weller, "She'll exploit that horribly."

"Just keep Patterson in the stands," Jane implored, not denying Roman's claim.

Kurt simply shook his head in mock disappointment before moving to join the rest of the team.

Jane and Roman stepped onto the mat together.

"I've been going easy on you for years," Roman whispered.

"No," Jane denied, "You've just been losing for years."

The obligatory rules were explained while they waited.

"Go!" The ref shouted.

Jane didn't hesitate she moved in and struck. Roman was more than ready for her and he counter attacked. She blocked.

"Wow," The first announcer said in excitement, "I knew this was going to be good!"

"Yeah," The second agreed, "I guess she's not going easy on him after all."

"When you're this good," The first noted, "I would think it's pretty hard to hold back…"

Even after two minutes neither Jane nor Roman had been able to get in a single hit.

"Have we ever had two competitors not score a single hit against each other?" The second announcer demanded incredulously.

"No, we have not," The first announcer agreed, equally excited.

"They aren't twins? Are they?" The second demanded watching.

"No," The first agreed, "But they've obviously trained together for years. It's so evenly matched, I don't think we're going to have a winner!"

"They're down," The second all but screamed watching as Roman rushed and overpowered Jane.

This took the fight to the floor, but still no hits.

It was only ten seconds until the end of the match when it happened.

Roman stood and looked over at where Jane was watching. With a little smile he went down on one knee and bowed his head waiting for the blow.

"He's giving it to her!" The first announcer said with respect.

Jane looked down at Roman, but didn't move in for the kill. Waiting until there were only four seconds remaining she took her own knife and swiped it across her suit, officially giving the match to him.

"She sacrificed herself for him!" The first announcer was so excited he stood up.

"Break," The ref screamed as the crowd went wild.

Roman accepted Jane's hand up and threw his arm around her and shook his head as they left the floor.

"I'm in love with Weller's Warriors," The second announcer admitted in a solemn voice.

"We all are," The first agreed…"We all are."

Watching from the sidelines Kurt realized something that Sheppard never knew, Jane and Roman would never allow themselves to be pitted against each other. They had created an undeniable bond. Each lethal in their own right, but both stronger together. He smiled as he watched his family move toward him before he moved to meet them halfway.

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"So who's going to replace Roman in the shooting competitions?" Patterson asked once they were alone.

"Replace me?" Roman demanded in outrage.

"Replace you," Patterson said firmly.

"I can still compete." He insisted.

Patterson was far from amused. She'd sat there watching Jane and Roman go after each other during the knife competition with her heart in the throat. The fact that she knew they were enjoying it in some macabre way only infuriated her more. She was giving both of them the cold shoulder.

"We can break it up," Kurt suggested.

"Who's best over the long distance?" Tasha looked at the group.

"Jane," Roman said confidently.

"Short range target?" Tasha asked.

"Jane," Reade said with a little laugh.

"We can all shoot accurately," Jane insisted, "Any one of us could do any of these competitions."

"Okay," Kurt agreed, "Jane will do distance, Reade will compete in short range and Tasha will run the simulation."

Patterson was satisfied with the decision.

Roman wasn't stupid and seeing the stubborn lift of her chin had ceased protesting.

Jane had to turn away to hide her smile. Finally someone willing to take on the world to protect Roman, she'd always tried, but their circumstances had forced her to make her efforts circumspect. He deserved to be openly cared for…she wanted to cry.

Kurt saw her face and knew her well enough to understand it.

He smiled at her and placed a protective arm around her in support.

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"Well…we can't stop them now," Vin noted.

"It doesn't matter," Franklin insisted, "We don't have to win. We will have to adjust our strategy next time…then we will have to win. Let it go."

Vin heard him, but he didn't want to let it go. It was a matter of pride now. She couldn't show him up twice. He'd made a fool out of himself when she'd been Remi…and she was making a fool out of him now. He could still hear his team's taunts when she'd shut him down. He could still hear the crowd's cheers when she'd trounced them now…He wanted a one on one test. He didn't care what he had to do to get it.

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After all the challenges that they'd faced during the competition the shooting went off without a hitch. Jane was expecting some type of challenge or sabotage, but there was none. She watched as Tasha complete the obstacle simulation with relief. She was truly over this entire assignment.

"Jane Weller?" A voice asked at her side.

"Yes?" Jane pulled her attention to the woman at her side.

"You're husband requested you meet him at the award platform." The woman explained.

"Okay," Jane frowned in puzzlement. Had he discovered something amiss?

She took one last look at Tasha being greeted by the team before she turned away and headed toward where the trophy would be awarded.

She arrived to find it deserted. The award ceremony wouldn't be until tomorrow and that couldn't come soon enough for her.

"Kurt?" Jane called softly.

When she received no answer, her instincts started screaming at her. Something was wrong.

She pulled out her phone and hit send. Kurt was her last call so the phone beginning ringing immediately.

Before he could answer a voice greeted her from behind.

"Well, what do we have here?" Vin asked softly.

Jane let the phone drop, but didn't end the call.

"Vin," Jane greeted him, "Have you seen Kurt?"

"Many times," Vin agreed unhelpfully.

"Well," Jane turned away, "If you see him again…tell him I'm looking for him."

"Can't do that," Vin said sadly.

"Why not?" Jane asked as she continued to place distance between them.

"He wouldn't be able to hear me." Vin admitted.

Jane stopped cold. "What?" She turned her ice cold eyes on him.

"Oh," Vin actually smiled, "Do I have your attention now?"

"Where's Kurt?" Jane demanded with false calm. Behind her impassive expression her heart was racing and her stomach was cramped.

"Admit your Remi," Vin insisted.

"Why do you even care?" Jane asked him instead.

"Why are you using a false name?" Vin countered.

"I'm not," Jane denied, "My name is Jane Weller."

"You were Remi," Vin insisted, his voice rising to a shout.

"I was," Jane finally agreed.

"You don't remember me," Vin accused her.

"No," Jane agreed, "I don't."

That only infuriated him more. She didn't bother to clarify the situation.

"I don't know what I ever saw in you," He said in disgust.

"I don't either," Jane agreed easily, "Where's Kurt?"

Vin still didn't answer.

Jane was done waiting. She moved in and pushed him up against the wall, "I'm not asking you again."

"Come with me and I'll show you." Vin taunted her with a little smile.

Jane released him and indicated he should proceed. Following after him she had to exercise all of her control to remain calm. What if Kurt was hurt or…

When he opened the door to a car, Jane didn't hesitate, but climbed inside without protest.

Kurt could hear Jane's conversation, but do nothing to stop what was happening. All the yelling in the world couldn't seem to get her attention.

"We have to find Jane," Kurt said to the team.

"She was right here," Patterson protested.

"She's with Vin," Kurt denied.

"Why would she do that?" Tasha couldn't imagine Jane making such a monumental error.

"She was looking for me," Kurt reluctantly admitted.

"Where were you?" Roman wondered.

"I received a message to meet Jane by our team tent." Kurt explained.

"Who gave it to you?" Patterson demanded.

"One of the aids," Kurt admitted.

"We need to find which one," Reade insisted, "They'll then be able to tell us where they sent Jane."

They broke up to look, knowing that they were already too late.

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Jane sat quietly while Vin drove further and further from civilization.

"Why are you doing this?" Jane finally asked him.

"Because I can," Vin said simply.

"What do you think is going to happen?" Jane said quietly.

"I'm finally going to best you," Vin explained.

"You don't have Kurt at all…do you?" Jane asked bluntly.

"So you're note stupid," Vin smiled over at her while he stopped the car in the back of a deserted and wooded area.

Jane turned her head away to hide he utter relief. Now that she was sure Kurt was safe, she didn't have to play by Vin's rules. Now she could make some rules of her own. Rules he wouldn't like.

"You won't forget me after I'm done," Vin promised opening the door and getting out of the car.

"I've forgotten you already," Jane taunted.

"Bitch," Vin pulled at a gun and pointed it at Jane.

She rolled over the hood of the car and kicked the gun out of his hand. In hand to hand he had the strength, but she knew how to use his own body against him. She didn't hold back. He grunted when she kicked the wind out of his chest, but he screamed when she broke first his elbow and then his knee.

While he lay on the ground she calmly walked over and picked up his weapon.

"Guess things didn't work out like you thought they would," Jane noted calmly.

Infuriated Vin took the keys and flung them into the river that ran next to the road.

"Now you're stuck here," Vin taunted.

Jane calmly walked over to the car and hotwired it.

He let his head fall back into the dirt in defeat. No matter what he did, he couldn't come out on top.

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Vin had broken her phone so by the time she arrived back at the competition, the proverbial shit had already hit the fan.

Weller had a row of people in custody and was in the process of interrogating the woman that had given her the message to meet him.

Jane stopped the car and opened the door.

He took one look at her and his face dropped in relief. He was beside her in four long strides. She was in his arms without a word being spoken.

"Are you okay?" He demanded, pulling back just enough to look down at her and gauge her wellbeing for himself.

"I'm fine," Jane assured him, "But Vin's going to need medical attention."

Kurt looked over at the empty car and shook his head in confusion.

"Where is he?"

"The trunk," Jane explained, "He wouldn't shut up…and I wasn't in the mood."

Kurt motioned to Keaton, who immediately leaned in to release the trunk.

"What happened to him?" Keaton asked with a smile when he saw the mess that awaited him.

"He has a broken elbow and knee," Jane explained.

"Damn," Keaton shook his head in admiration. No wonder he hadn't been able to extract any information from her. She was much more brutal than he was…

"What happened?" Kurt insisted, drawing her attention back to him.

"Vin lured me over to the stage and then told me he had you, so I went with him." Jane explained.

"You just went with him?" Patterson was outraged.

"He said he had Kurt," Jane said defensively.

Kurt closed his eyes at that disclosure. Jane's only real vulnerability was the love she had for him and their extended family. It was the one thing that could be used against her.

"What happened after you left?" Reade worried.

"He made a mistake in admitting he didn't have Kurt at all." Jane told them. "So we discussed the error of his ways and drove back."

"Why do I think you're keeping all the good stuff to yourself?" Tasha said with a little smile.

"Did you retrieve the trophy?" Jane worried to Kurt.

"We did…and the information was already inside." Kurt assured her.

"So we got them?" Jane said in relief.  
"We got them," Roman agreed with a smile.

"And we can go home?" Jane looked up at Kurt with a hopeful expression.

Looking down at her with love he confirmed, "No place I'd rather be…"

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"What do you mean you're taking the film in for evidence?" The first announcer protested, watching the FBI and CIA agents gathering it together.

"This was the best show we've ever had," The second announcer agreed.

"It's not going to air," Keaton said without remorse.

"But," The first announcer argued, "Weller's Warriors…they're amazing, a team our home viewers can really get behind."

"If their face is plastered all over the television," Keaton explained, "They can no longer do their job."

"They'll be famous," The second announcer argued, "They won't need to work for the FBI anymore."

"They don't want to be famous," Keaton laughed at the idea, "They want to save the world and I believe they can do it."

Both announcers fell silent. His words carried absolute certainty and they didn't doubt their validity for a moment.

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Okay that's the end of the games…I'll probably post more little missions and one shots here eventually so I won't call it finished. Hope you enjoyed it…


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